Of Ninjutsu and Kamehamehas
by Kaiser Wilhelm
Summary: Goten has been reading the manga Naruto since he was a little kid, but one day when Piccolo discovers a certain Hyuuga lying unconscious on Mt. Paozu, fiction becomes too real to possibly deny.
1. Something's Coming

*** I know what you're thinking: "**_**Another**_** story, Kaiser?!" Still, this idea has been in my head for far too long for me to ignore. Seriously, a crossover between DBZ and Naruto, who could resist? I'm having way too much fun with this; I swear, and the fight scene was possibly THE MOST EPIC THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN!! I swear, I had WAY too much fun with that. But enough about that. Still, a couple things. This will have yaoi, and the characters most likely will be OOC, but most of you are probably used to that when it comes to me. Still, I've really never done yaoi with characters from two different fandoms before. It should be an interesting (not to mention fun) experience. Also, the beginning was written a few months ago, so it might suck a little more than usual. One last thing: this will have spoilers through the entirety of DBZ and Naruto as of yesterday, so read if you don't give a shit or are up to date, but don't read if spoilers bother you, 'kay? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Dragon Ball. I especially do not own Naruto and Dragon Ball at make in my story. **

**Chapter 1: Something's Coming**

Son Gohan sat by the coffee table, completely immersed in his new book detailing "the chemical equations necessary to predict the activity and reactions of dihydrogen monoxide with Alkali metals." Truly enthralling material, at least in Gohan's opinion. Just as he turned the page to begin the chapter on sodium ions, the door burst open. An orange blur rushed to the couch, taking a seat next to him and knocking the book clean out of his hands.

Gohan calmly straightened his glasses and set the book on the table. "Hi, Dad," he greeted cheerfully. Son Goku grinned almost childishly. As usual, he was wearing his orange gi with the same navy blue t-shirt, belt, and wristbands. Completely average, mundane for Goku, except for the fact that the clothes happened to be soaking wet.

"Hey, son! I was out looking for dinner," he explained gleefully. "I tried to catch us some fish, but there wasn't anything big enough, so I got us a giant boar instead!" Gohan smiled at his father's enthusiasm.

"Sounds great, Dad; I haven't had boar in a _long_ time." Goku nodded, truly proud of his accomplishment. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the neglected book on the table.

"So…what-cha readin'?" Gohan beamed at that.

"Oh! It's a fascinating book about water's reactivity with the Alkali metals! It's wonderful!" Goku blinked, trying to wrap his mind around the basic concept of what his son had just explained. He managed to grasp, "…book…water…wonderful."

"Well," he began uncertainly, "that's- that's just fine." Gohan continued to smile, seemingly ignoring his father's lack of understanding. They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"When's Goten coming home?" Gohan asked, trying to start another conversation. He did enjoy talking to his father after all. Goku shrugged.

"Soon I hope. Man, I wish Chichi would stop sending him to that school place. We haven't had a chance to go on a training trip in ages!"

Gohan chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose you haven't."

"You should come next time, Gohan," Goku suggested. He always insisted such when the subject of training came up. They had had this conversation dozens of times, but his son would always decline the offer.

Gohan's brow furrowed as he contemplated the idea. "I don't know, Dad."

"C'mon! When's the last time you trained with your old man and little brother?"

"A long time," Gohan sighed. "I really don't know. You know I've never been much of a fighter, Dad."

"Yeah, I know…" Goku gazed at Gohan with a serious expression. _"Trust me, I really do."_ "If there's anything I regret, it's making you fight as a kid," he murmured.

Gohan paused, staring up at the ceiling. "…I'll think about it."

Upon hearing the remark, Goku's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. I could use a break from things."

"Then it's a plan!" Goku punched the air with excitement. "When Goten gets his next break from school, we'll go camping, just the three of us! Nothing but training and relaxing. I can't wait!" This was true, for Goku could hardly contain his joy.

The two sat in silence from there, as Gohan continued to read his awfully boring (at least in Goku's opinion) chemistry book. Goku left only for a moment to tell Chichi of his amazing catch, returning as soon as she began cooking. At approximately five o' clock, the door burst open once again.

This time, a blue blur sprinted across the room, once more knocking the book out of Gohan's hands. The blur took a seat on Gohan's other side.

"Hi, Dad! Hi, Nii-chan!" shouted Goku's youngest son happily.

Gohan blinked, "…Well, you certainly are energetic today."

Goten grinned. "I have good reason to be! Guess what came out today."

Goku shrugged, whereas Gohan smiled knowingly. "It was one of your mangas, wasn't it?"

The seventeen year old proudly held up the manga for both his brother and father to see. "Not just any manga, it's _Shonen Jump_! And it's got an all-new _Naruto_ this week! I hear Gaara's finally coming back!"

"Oh," Goku began. "He's the one you don't like, right?"

"No, Dad, that's Sasuke…" Gohan watched with amusement as his younger brother animately described the series to his father. He smiled, only incidentally noting the similarities between the father-son duo.

He remembered when he had gotten Goten his first copy of _Naruto_. It had been only six years prior when an alien syndicate came to Earth to covet the dragonballs (same old, same old). To make a long story short, Earth won, and Goten ended up with his leg broken in five places. He was bedridden until Master Karin was able to grow a new batch of senzu beans. In the meantime, Gohan decided to get a manga for Goten to cheer him up. He had happened across a copy of _Naruto_, and, well, the rest is history.

Gohan snapped out of his reverie as Goten said, "All right, I'm gonna go to my room. Call me when dinner's ready!" And with that, he was off.

Goku shook his head fondly. "He sure does love those ninjas." Gohan grinned.

"He really does, doesn't he?"

***

It was peaceful enough in the village of Konoha, or rather, what was left of it. Yes, it was true; the famed village had been absolutely decimated when the head of Akatsuki came looking for Naruto. Now, things were beginning to return to normal, and the villagers could rebuild. Still, Konohagakure was between a rock and a hard place in many ways: they were down a Hokage (or rather, down a Hokage with a _soul_), and there were enemies lurking behind every tree. At least their shinobi quota was still up to par (some miracle that).

In a particularly dilapidated part of the village, the fully intact Team Gai was helping the villagers to rebuild their homes. Lee and Gai used their superhuman strength to remove rubble and carry lumber, Tenten was not half-bad with a hammer, and Neji directed the three of them with his Byakugan.

The Hyuuga genius of the team let out yet another sigh as he told Lee where to put the support beam. Neji was worried about Naruto. He had gone off with Sakura and his other teammate (whose name Neji had yet to learn). That was perfectly normal. No, what bothered Neji was that a group of Cloud-nin had followed after them. Cloud-nin had always unnerved Neji (they were the root cause of his father's sacrifice after all). Even so, what bothered him the most was that he could not find any justification to go after them.

In the past, he would have followed them without hesitation, knowing that he would be an asset should a fight break out. But now, now Naruto had grown so much more powerful than he. Neji was no longer an asset to Naruto; he was a _liability_. He would only get in the way. At this thought, again, Neji sighed.

He looked up only to find Lee and Tenten looking at him curiously. "What?" he asked, a tad miffed. Lee put down the lumber he was holding and approached Neji with caution, like one would a threatened animal.

"Well, it is just that…you have been sighing more than usual today, Neji-kun. Tenten-chan and I are just worried about you." Tenten hopped down from the ladder.

"Yeah, what's wrong, Nej?" The brunette refused to look his friends in the eye.

"Nothing," he lied. Tenten rolled her eyes, grabbed Neji's arm, and forced him to sit down next to her, Lee following after.

"It is all right, Neji-kun," Lee continued. "You can tell us; we are your friends." Neji looked from Lee to Tenten and back again; their eyes were concerned yet determined. These were his friends, his teammates of four years, his makeshift family that had become far closer to him than any real family could have. They had confided in him when they were distressed. Perhaps it was time for him to return the gesture.

"It's just…" Another sigh. "I'm so useless."

"_What_?!" The two cried in unison, never expecting Neji to say such a thing.

"Of course you're not useless!" Tenten shouted.

"Yes!" Lee began almost frantic. "You are very useful, Neji-kun. You have saved us so many times; Tenten-chan and I probably would not even be here without you!"

"Yeah, I mean just now you've made working on the houses much easier. We'd probably still be working on that first house if you weren't here to direct us!" Neji refused to meet either of his teammates eyes.

"I guess," he mumbled uncertainly. This time, Tenten sighed…in frustration that is. Lee's large brow furrowed.

"Neji-kun, what is making you feel this way?" Neji briefly glanced up at Lee. He saw no pity in those onyx eyes, no condescension, just concern for his only brother.

"It's just," Neji found himself replying before his brain even consented. "I used to put myself on equal terms with Naruto, or at least close to equal terms. But now, it's as it all I can do is sit and watch from the sidelines as he takes on opponents far stronger than I can even imagine." Tenten tried to understand what her best friend was going through; she really did, but somehow, it just did not seem like that big of a deal to her. Lee, however, nodded in full comprehension.

"I understand, Neji-kun," he murmured. "I used to get that feeling too."

"When you watched Naruto?" Lee chuckled at that.

"No, Neji-kun, when I watched you." Neji looked up at Lee, shocked, but soon that expression transformed into a smile, a true smile.

"Thanks, Lee," he whispered.

"Well, is that it?" Tenten cut in. Both boys stared at her, confused. She chuckled. "I mean, is that all that's all that's bothering you? Or is there something else?" Neji paused for a moment. Was there something else? It was true; he had not been feeling like himself as of late.

"No…I guess there is." Lee and Tenten's expressions grew serious. They briefly glanced at each other before turning back to their dear friend in need. Neji continued. "I've been feeling almost…empty lately, like there's something out there that I'm missing."

"Like what?" asked Tenten, legitimately curious.

"I don't know. It's just…lately, I've been wondering if I should even be in Konoha at all." Both Tenten and Lee's eyes widened.

"What?!" Tenten cried.

"Why, Neji-kun?"

"I…it's like…I'm surrounded by people I love and that I know love me back, but I've been feeling like something isn't right. I cringe every time I think of an upcoming mission, and I can barely get myself out of bed in the morning to do something unless you two and Gai-sensei are involved. I'm sixteen years old for God's sake! I shouldn't be feeling this trapped!" There was a deep, tense silence.

"I-I had no idea that you felt this way, Neji-kun," Lee managed. Tenten nodded in agreement.

"Maybe…" she began hesitantly, "Maybe we should go on a long trip. Us three and Gai-sensei that is. We can travel all around the world, relax, and have a little fun for once. And, Neji, you can find yourself. Who knows what you might figure out? You could decide to change careers, be a writer like Jiraiya-sama, or a doctor like Tsunade-sama, or maybe even open up a restaurant like Teuchi-san."

"Or Sansho-baa-san," Lee cut in. The three chuckled at the thought.

"Yeah," Tenten continued, "we'll finish things up here in Konoha and pack up to leave. This is in our Neji-chan's best interest!" Neji frowned at the honorific. "And if Danzou-kage-teme tries to stop us…we'll kick 'im in the nuts and go anyway!" Lee burst out laughing at the premise, while Neji simply shook his head.

"I think that physically harming the Hokage may be considered treason, Tenten-chan," Lee chuckled out. Neji, however, simply smiled. He did have good friends after all.

"That sounds…" he began softly, "great. Thanks, you guys. I don't know what I'd do without you, sometimes." Lee and Tenten turned on Neji with equally huge grins before pouncing on him, practically smothering the brunette.

"Aw! Neji-chan!"

"You are most welcome, Neji-kun!" The two spent the rest of their time together laughing at Neji's fiery blush ("You look like Hinata-chan," cut in Tenten snidely), until one of the carpenters from the Land of Waves shouted, "Get back to work, you crazy kids!" The three glanced at each other before realized that they had, in fact, been lying around on the job.

"Well, we had better get back to work," Lee said simply as he picked his lumber back up. Tenten nodded, grabbing her hammer and nails. Neji simply sighed one final time as he watched his teammates run ahead of him. He picked up the building plans from beside him and stood up.

However, the brunette did not notice the unnatural pitch-black shadow that appeared behind him on the bench. Nor did he notice as a humanoid creature came through the shadow-like portal. It smirked, licking its lips at the sight of Neji and his almost palpable power.

"He's _perfect_," it hissed, sibilant, snake-like.

Neji started at the noise, turning in time to see the creature reaching out to grab him. The brunette bit back the urge to flee and instead, shouted, "Byakugan!" With that yell, Neji got the attention of Lee, Tenten, and the nearby Maito Gai. They all ran after him, sensing an inevitable fight.

But Neji barely noticed; he was too shocked by what he saw with his Byakugan, or rather, what he did not see. His opponent had no chakra circulatory system, no keirakukei, no tenketsu, nothing. Neji only saw the outline of his opponent's body, filled with blue light, solid energy. What on Earth was he fighting?! It could not have been a genjutsu; Neji's Byakugan would have seen through it. Neji knew only one thing about this otherworldly creature, and that was that without a chakra circulatory system, Neji's jyuuken, _the entire basis of his fighting style_, was worthless. This could be a problem.

Just then, Gai, Lee, and Tenten appeared beside him, all ready for battle. His team could compensate for his inability to use jyuuken!

"Neji! Just what is this guy?" cried Tenten. Neji simply shook his head, quite unsure himself.

"I don't know, but I can't use my jyuuken on hi-"

"Hand over the boy!" the creature interrupted with a snarl. It took Neji a moment to realize that this monster was referring to the brunette himself. It quickly became clear that this creature was targeting Neji, no one else.

With that realization, Gai stepped forward, pushing Neji behind him and stepped into a fighting stance. "Over my dead body," the man growled out. _No one _threatened one of Maito Gai's students and lived to tell the tale.

"That can be arranged," the creature hissed with a villainous smirk. It held out both of its hands, palms facing its opponents. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, bright beams of light shot out from its hands, hitting both Gai and Tenten straight on. They flew backwards nearly fifty meters headlong into the nearest building.

Lee and Neji glanced at each other, eyes wide and mouths agape. They had never seen anything like it! Lee was the first to recover, jumping in front of Neji and slipping into his unmistakable stance. "Stay back, Neji-kun," Lee murmured in a low, serious voice, eyes never leaving his enemy.

Neji shook himself out of his shock. "No, Lee," Neji pleaded. "Let me help you; I can fight!"

"No you cannot. This monster is immune to your best techniques, is he not?" Lee's eyes softened as he noticed the expression on the brunette's face: frightened for his friends' safety, but also determined. "Let me handle this," he finished with a warm smile, before turning on the creature with a daunting look. "I will not let you lay a hand on Neji-kun," he snarled lowly. For once, Neji listened to Lee and backed off some. Truth be told, he was scared for the taijutsu-specialist. If there was one person in Konoha that Neji could not bear to see lying lifeless on the ground, it was Rock Lee.

"Be careful," he whispered, knowing that Lee probably could not even hear him.

The creature cackled a high, mad laugh. "Oh, you'll 'handle' me, will you?" Another laugh. "We'll see just how well you 'handled' me when your friend's head is hanging over my mantle! Well, what are you waiting for? Come at me, you-" The creature never got a chance to finish his taunt, as Lee, enraged by its threat, swiftly Konoha Sempuu'd the dreadful thing in the face.

Lee bared his teeth, voice becoming bestial, blood boiling. "_Threaten him again, and I'll take your head clean off_!!" he thundered. Neji had never heard Lee so angry. He was so furious that he had begun speaking informally. Well, it seemed that one should never cross Lee's teammates either.

The creature stood up slowly, laughing manically. "Well then," he chuckled, "what if I did _this_?" Before Lee or Neji could blink, the monster had grabbed Neji from behind, nevermind that he had been a good ten meters away from him beforehand.

Lee's eyes widened. _"He's fast,"_ was all that he could manage to think.

"Let me go!" Neji cried as he struggled against the creature, receiving only a chuckle in response. Lee rushed to aid his teammate, but Neji, not one to be counted out, grabbed the creature's arms and threw it over his shoulder. Lee jumped up, landing with his knee thrusting into the monster's stomach. The creature lurched, coughing up a mixture of blood and saliva. The taijutsu-specialist landed gracefully on his feet before again stepping in front of Neji.

"Stay close," he murmured, "we cannot risk him catching you again." The brunette merely nodded dumbly, shocked by Lee's sudden ability to take command. Lee turned, smiling at him with warm, kind eyes. "No worries, Neji-kun. I will protect you with my life, and that is my promise." To prove so, the black-haired boy gave Neji a thumbs up. Somehow, that made the Hyuuga feel just a tiny bit better. That is, until a rumble of a chuckle came from the recovering monster. It stood, clapping slowly, mockingly.

"Very well spoken. How sweet! You'll protect 'Neji-kun,' will you?" It shook its head, still laughing. "Well then, Hero-Boy, let's see you protect him _from this_!" At the last two words, the creature slammed its palms on the ground with a dark smirk. There was a quiet rumbling, which grew louder and louder, until a bright beam of red light pierced through the earth from below and completely engulfed Neji. Lee could only stare wide-eyed as a cylindrical prism of pure energy surrounded Neji's body. Bolts of energy encircled him, sparked by the energy itself. He floated a few inches above the ground, his clothes and hair being blown upwards as if by the wind.

Neji was absolutely in agony! Burning, white-hot pain ripped through every single inch of his body, Every one of his cells were on fire, screaming out in torture. The brunette had only felt this much pain when he had had his seal activated, and like that throbbing pain, this only seemed to get worse as time progressed. He could not move a muscle. Pain, fire, agony, lightning, torment. Neji screamed.

"Neji!" Lee nearly shrieked, forgoing his usual honorific. He ran towards the Hyuuga, trying to pull him out of the beam, but the taijutsu-specialist was merely blown back by a bolt of lightning. Neji's yelling stopped, but his mouth was still open in a silent scream, his entire body racked with tremors. The monster released its abominable technique. Neji hovered in midair for a moment before he collapsed to the ground, haggard and pale, eyes closed, and limp as a ragdoll. "Neji!" Lee cried again, dashing to his friend. He pulled the brunette into his arms before calling his name over and over. "Neji! Wake up! Speak to me!" But the Hyuuga remained enervated in his arms. Lee's eyes narrowed with rage as he heard a familiar cackle.

"It would seem you need a but more work on your protecting skills," he laughed.

"_You_," Lee snarled.

"What's wrong, kid? Are you angry because I hurt your little 'Neji-kun'?" Lee gently lay Neji on the ground and quickly took off his weights. He recalled Gai-sensei's words from so many years ago: _"Lee, remember, never, and I mean NEVER remove those weights unless you're defended the lives of people who're precious to you."_ Again, he looked at Neji, truly one of his most precious people, before looking back to his enemy.

Lee rushed the creature, hoping his speed would be enough to turn the tables. Not so, for every time he came at the creature with a powerful blow, it would simply dodge.

"I've had enough of you, kid. I've got a delivery to make, so if you don't mind-" It punched Lee in the gut grinding its fist deep into the black-haired boy's abdomen. Lee nearly heaved, but the monster was not finished just yet; it released another energy blast from his fist, blasting Lee against a tree with enough force to break the trunk in half.

The creature approached the unconscious Neji with a smirk. "I'll be taking this," it commented as it threw the brunette's limp body over its shoulder with ease. It headed for the shadow-portal.

Lee crawled his way out of the tree's branches, doubled over and clutching at his wounded stomach. He watched as Neji briefly came to, groggy and in pain. Still, with glazed-over, half-lidded white eyes, he gazed at Lee. With what little strength he had left, he reached out to his teammate; the black-haired boy returned the gesture. Then, the creature jumped through the portal with Neji, and the shadow simply vanished.

Lee fell onto his hands and knees, teary-eyed. "Oh, Neji-kun," he managed, "I have failed you." With that he collapsed.

***

Neji awoke, only to see that he was flying over a forest. A rather blurry forest, but Neji assumed that his eyes were merely playing tricks on him. He also assumed that the forest was Ho no Kuni. Weakly, he turned his head to see the back of the monster that had captured him. It chuckled.

"The Boss'll be happy with this catch. This kid's power is _perfect_, so pure. I can practically taste it." Neji could hear the monster lick its lips. "He has so much of it too. Maybe once the Boss's had his fill, he'll let me have the remains." It could hardly contain its glee. "And maybe the body too, he is quite the looker."

Neji had heard enough. Summoning all of his chakra, he released it out of every single pore in his body. The monster shouted at the sudden burst of energy. He was so caught off guard that he dropped Neji's limp body. The monster had been momentarily stunned, so there was no one to catch the brunette as he fell into the forest below. The canopy of trees slowed his fall, but he still hit the ground with enough force to knock him unconscious once more.

***Well, there you have it! You like? I hope you do, cuz I had WAY too much fun with that chapter. You know you love it. Anyway, I don't know what the output for this story is gonna look like, so it's anyone's guess when the next chapter will come out. Anyway, thanks for being awesome guys. I love you all!**


	2. Double Feature

*** Well, here's chapter two! How's everybody doing? I just got back from England the other day. What was I doing there? Looking for colleges of course! (kill me…Obelisk of Light, I trust you with this duty, so make it quick if you can). I saw U of London, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and York. Frankly, York kinda scared me. Nothing against any of you guys from York (great city), but the Castle Museum made my Jew-instinct run screaming. Same with me mam's. …Don't ask me why I just wrote that in an Irish accent. Weird. Must've been that Irish bartender at The George in London. Awesome pub! Food's not much but, hell, is it ever in a pub? I fell in LOVE with the University of London!! I'm totally applying there! Cross your fingers for me. Anyway, what inspired this next chapter was me rewatching DB. I decided to watch all of the DB episodes, and if I get there, DBZ, and maybe DBGT if I can get my hands on the Japanese dub (Funimation dub made me cry. I used to watch it raw on the International Channel. Those were the days. DB is one of the only shows that you can enjoy raw, what with all the fighting and all). As I was watching these, I realized something. Goku as a kid is FLIPPIN' ADORABLE!! I want to hug him! Little Kuririn too! But then, by DBZ he starts to get less and less adorable/huggable. Must be all the muscles. That's why they added Gohan, cuz Goku wasn't cute anymore! Gohan managed to stay cute until Buu (though Teen Gohan is adorable in his own ways), but then he got old, so they added Goten! Goten was adorable for a good season, but then he cut his hair and got old, so he wasn't cute anymore, so they added Pan! Then, by GT, Pan wasn't cute because she was too busy being a bitch, so they turned Goku back into a kid, which somehow wasn't cute, because we were so used to him being an adult that it was sort of confusing and scary. Yup. There's my rant. Hope you liked it, and I REALLY hope you like this chapter, cuz I LOVED writing it!**

**Disclaimer (the last one got deleted a bit. Sorry bout that): I don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** or **_**Naruto**_**. I especially don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** and **_**Naruto**_** at the same time, nor do I own any of the plentiful pop culture references that I may or may not mention in my story. **

**Chapter 2: Double Feature**

Goten stood outside the Capsule Corp. estate, waiting for someone to answer the door. The weekend was over after all, and he and Trunks had school. Goten pouted, as there was no response. What on Earth could they be doing in there? He tapped the speaker once or twice; perhaps the doorbell system was broken. The small half-Saiyan sighed, fidgeting with his backpack. He considered just leaving without Trunks. After all, what did the Capsule Corp. heir need school for?

"Welcome to Capsule Corp. How may I help you?" came a sudden, shrill female voice from the loud speaker. Goten started with a yelp. He had nearly fallen over at the noise! Still, he recovered quickly, pushing down the little button for the speaker.

"Hi," he replied. "It's Son Goten. I'm here for Trunks-kun." There was no response.

"Just one moment, please." Again, Goten was nearly bowled over by the loud, unexpected voice. Even so, he got over it quickly enough, as the gates opened.

Goten had been inside the Capsule Corp. compound hundreds of times, but he still could never get used to the size and extraordinary nature of the place. Robots zoomed back and forth, while people tinkered with machinery and managed paper work. It was loud and boisterous, energetic and hectic. Somehow, it always made him feel uneasy. Perhaps Trunks was right; maybe he was just a country-boy at heart.

He walked past one of the many labs, glancing towards it, but immediately stopped as he noticed a familiar blue head of hair.

"Hey!" he called out to Bulma. The woman was startled away from her work and quickly turned.

"Son-kun!" she cried. "What're you doing here?!" Goten's face fell at this. Perhaps it was a bad idea to grow his hair out again. At the end of the day, was that all he was? His father's shadow?

"No, Bulma-baa-chan," he corrected, faking a smile. "It's just me, Goten." Bulma grinned at that, taking off her lab goggles.

"Oh sorry, Goten-chan, it was just the goggles. I swear! You two just look similar. The only difference is your younger and shorter." Goten frowned at that. "Oh come on; you know it's true." He could not deny that. Son Goten stood only at five foot five inches, while his brother and father stood at a proud five foot seven, and his best friend at an impossible five foot ten. Goten decided to end this conversation as quickly as possible; it was going downhill fast.

"Bulma-san, have you seen Trunks-kun?" Bulma smiled.

"He's in the Gravity Room with Vegeta-" But Goten had left before she could get another word in.

The half-Saiyan walked quickly, his eyes to the floor. When he was a child, he used to like being compared to Goku. He considered it to be a compliment. But now, Goten was teenager. He was seventeen and well on his was to becoming a man. Goten was now his own person. Goten was Goten. Goten was not nor ever could be Goku. Similar? Maybe. The same? Never. Was it too much to ask for people to recognize him as Goten and not confuse him with Goku? For awhile, Goten had cut his hair short, so that he looked different than his father, but he grew it back out once he realized that he should never have had to. Goku was powerful, reliable, kind, a good friend, husband, and father. Goten was just Goku's second son, and on his better days, he was the weakest Saiyan of them all.

Without realizing, Goten had made it to the chamber that they had simply dubbed "the Gravity Room" and walked in. Sure enough, Trunks and Vegeta were fighting, both in Super Saiyan Two form (Vegeta and Goku had pushed Goten and Trunks to the limits until both had reached this level). They were sparring with incredible speed. Goten probably could have watched, had he focused enough, but he just could not find the will to. Instead, he found himself walking forward. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that walking in between two fighting Super Saiyans was a bad idea, and yet his feet just kept trudging forward.

And that "bad idea" cost him big time, as Goten took a ki blast from both sides, a Big Bang Attack from Vegeta and a Buster Cannon from Trunks. Both hit him head on, blowing him back against the wall with such force that he nearly broke through it. Goten slipped from the top of the wall all the way down to the floor, landing uncomfortably on his knees.

"Gaki?"**(1)**

"Chibi?!"

Goten was covered with buns and cuts, his body and now-ripped clothes bathed in ash, He coughed up a bit of smoke.

Trunks flew down beside him looking almost frantic. He immediately powered down, whereas Vegeta stayed in the background, still Super Saiyan.

"Chibi? Speak to me! You're still all right, right? Can you stand?" Goten smiled weakly up at Trunks. He loved the way that Trunks worried about him sometimes. Trunks, his best friend, loved Goten for Goten, no other reason.

"I'm all right, Trunks-kun," he managed. Vegeta stalked over to the two.

"I swear with the way you fuss over him, you may as well be a mother duck." Trunks scowled at that; Goten snickered. "Besides, Gaki here can take a ki blast about as well as Kakarot-" At this, Goten's world came crashing down. Even _Vegeta_ thought of him as nothing more than a failed clone of his father. Without noticing, Goten began to tear up, and before he knew it, the black-haired boy was sobbing. He cried and cried, not unlike the way that he had as a young child.

"Chibi? What's wrong?" Trunks murmured, sounding ready to kill the person responsible for Goten's tears.

"Oh take it like a man; it couldn't have hurt _that_ bad!"

Trunks continued to gaze at Goten as he said, "I don't think it's that, Dad. He hasn't cried like this from physical pain since he was seven. It must be something else." God bless Trunks and his ability to read Goten like a book.

Vegeta did not show any sympathy as he growled out, "Talk to him, then. I'll be outside." However, Trunks could tell that he was truly worried about "Gaki." Vegeta left without another word.

The lavender-haired boy sat down next to Goten, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "So, Chibi, will you tell me what's wrong?"

Goten mumbled something.

"What?" asked Trunks in a soft voice.

"I'm not him!" he burst out. "I'm not him, Trunks-kun! I'm not! I'm not!" There was a pause as Goten continued to cry into his companion's shoulder.

"I know you're not," he comforted. "Goten is Goten, and that's the way I like him." They said nothing for a while. Goten's sobs became hiccups and finally just sniffles. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Maybe I should just cut my hair again," he murmured suddenly.

"Chibi, you hated it short." Goten shrugged.

"Well, at least people could tell the different between us." Goten sighed, resting his head on Trunks's shoulder.

"Wanna skip school today?" the latter suggested.

"Mom'll kill me."

"Only if she finds out." Goten smiled, leaning into Trunks.

"You know, you really are a bad influence."

"I do. Come on." He grabbed Goten's hand, helping him up. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then, we'll go anywhere you want, just you and me."

"Will there be food involved?" Goten's stomach growled at the thought.

"That depends. What kind of food?"

"I don't care, Trunks-kun!" Goten whined. "I'm just hungry!" Trunks chuckled as he led Goten out of the Gravity Room. Surprisingly, Vegeta was waiting just outside the door, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"If it's any consolation, you actually take a ki blast better than Kakarot." Goten just beamed at the man, knowing that, coming from Vegeta, that meant a lot.

***

Piccolo had been sensing a disturbing ki for over a day now. The ki was not just unfamiliar; it was _bizarre_. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The Namekian was reminded of his days as Kami-sama. Back when Cell had first appeared. Cell had had an eccentric ki as well. However, Piccolo had known what to make of that ki; it had felt like all of his allies' and enemies' kis, even his own. Even so, he had been able to tell that the monster's ki was ominous, _evil_.

But this new ki was not baleful or foreboding. It was just peculiar, unnatural, as if it just did not belong. Neither Piccolo nor Kami-sama had ever felt anything quite like it.

All that Piccolo was sure of was that the location of the ki was the forests of Mount Paozu, near the Son house. That meant Gohan, Goku, and Goten could be in danger. Piccolo could only hope that he found the source of this strange ki before it found one of them.

Once the Namekian had entered the mountain area, he continued on foot, just in case this new creature could sense ki. Still, this ki was so incredibly obvious that Piccolo could have pinpointed its location from anywhere on the planet. If the source was trying to be discreet, it was doing a terrible job of it. Sure enough, Piccolo quickly found an area in the forest with an abnormal, almost eerie aura. The wind was silent, as were the animals. The area seemed to be an impenetrable bubble, and every animal from the deer to the sparrows was afraid to even approach it. It was unnatural, deviant.

Piccolo forced himself to enter against his better judgment. Inside, the aura was tense and strange, but not threatening. He felt no battle ki, meaning that there was nothing preparing for a fight, a good sign. In fact, unless the source of the ki was invisible, there appeared to be nothing there. Piccolo cautiously continued forward. He was acutely aware of his surroundings. He heard every snap of every twig, saw every leaf as it danced its way to the ground, heard every breath from the body at his feet-

Piccolo did a double take. Indeed, there was a body at his feet. He scrutinized the person. Yes, the person did not look unusual, but looks can be deceiving as this definitely the source of the abnormal ki.

It was a boy, no older than Son Goten himself. Still a child, well, at least in Piccolo's mind. He was pale, with long coffee brown hair. Unconscious, but very much alive. Still, what Piccolo found to be the strangest feature of this body was the strange headband that he wore. It had some metal on it with the insignia of a leaf inscribed on it. Perhaps it was the symbol of his shishou.

The boy looked injured. Piccolo thought of when Gohan was this boy's age, when he had nearly died after Buu blasted him with an exorbitant amount of ki. The Namekian sighed. He knew what he had to do.

***

Goten followed Trunks over to his dresser.

"Here," the latter called as he pulled out some clothes. "Take a shower and change into these. Then we can get going." Goten nodded, taking the clothes and heading towards the bathroom.

It took Goten longer than he expected to shower. Taking too powerful ki blasts sure could cover a guy in grime! He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He really did look like Goku. Still, why couldn't people look at Goten and see Goten? There were just as many differences as there were similarities. His obsidian eyes were bigger than his father's. He was paler than Goku, having more his mother's colouring than anyone else's. His body was slim, belying his true strength, whereas Goku's was obviously muscled. And just like Bulma had stated earlier, Goten was shorter and younger. There were so many distinctions between the two of them, and yet so few people could tell the difference. His own mother sometimes confused him with Goku! There were only four people who could tell the difference between them: Goku, of course, Trunks, Vegeta, and Gohan. Sometimes, it just got to him.

He walked out of the bathroom to find his best friend looking at his wallet, counting zeni. "Hm," he spoke more to himself than to Goten, "that should be enough for the both of us." The smaller boy became flustered at that.

"Oh, uh, that's okay, Trunks-kun. I can pay for myself," Goten argued.

"Don't be silly, Chibi. It's no big deal." The black-haired boy could not help blushing a bit.

"If you say so," he mumbled. Trunks grabbed Goten's hand as he forcefully led the other out of the room.

"Come on; if it makes you feel better, we'll choose somewhere cheap to eat, okay?" Goten gave his best friend a small smile before nodding. They were about to head out of the compound to find somewhere to eat, when they were stopped at the door.

"If you two aren't going to school, you could at least make yourselves useful and spar with me." The two turned to see a familiar Saiyan prince (though more along the lines of king at this point). He smirked at the pair. "Between the two of you, you might actually be able to give me a good workout."

Goten felt his Saiyan blood ache with the hope of a challenge. He was sure that Trunks felt the same. He grinned.

"That sounds like fun, Vegeta-san! I just need some food in me first. Trunks-kun, you in?" The aforementioned nodded, looking quite excited himself.

"Definitely. Dad, meet us at the usual spot in an hour or so?" Vegeta gave a curt nod before turning to Goten.

"Remember to keep your guard up this time, Gaki." Goten grinned as Trunks dragged him off. Though he had never told the man, in those first seven years without Goku, Vegeta had become a sort of surrogate father to the boy, teaching him about fighting, Saiyan instinct, and occasionally, life in general. Gohan had always told him stories of Piccolo's lessons as a child. Goku had told him about Muten Roshi, Karin, Kami-sama, and Kaio-sama's training. But when Goten thought of who had taught him everything he knew from punching to ki control, he did not think of Piccolo or Chichi, or even Gohan for that matter. He thought of Vegeta. It was almost ironic in a way. Both of Son Goku's sons were trained by his first and second greatest enemies, respectively.

Goten remembered fondly the first time he had fought his father one-on-one. The man had nearly fainted when he had seen Goten take, not the Kame stance or Piccolo and Gohan's stance, but Vegeta's. The half-Saiyan considered telling his "shishou" about that. He was almost positive that it would bring that trademark smirk to Vegeta's face.

"Come on, Chibi," Trunks called. "I found a bakery the other day that I think you'll like." With that, the lavender-headed boy led Goten into the city, the latter stopping to wave to Vegeta as he left.

***

Goku was alone in the house, bringing in the firewood he had chopped. There were not many chores that Chichi was able to get the man to do, but chopping firewood was one of the few. Goten was at school, Gohan out of the house, and Chichi out grocery shopping. Goku had the house to himself for at least a few hours, meaning only one thing: training without disturbances.

Once Goku had put the last of the firewood away, he nearly ran outside, excited for the training that he finally had the chance to do. He did a few push-ups, before beginning to stretch out. He could not remember the last time that he had felt this relaxed. It was almost nostalgic, making Goku remember the times when he trained as a boy.

He did punching and kicking drills as a warm-up, wondering how he should go about his daily training. He was so deep in thought and memory that he almost did not notice as a familiar ki grew closer, _almost_. He heard the unmistakable sound of a person dropping to the ground after using the buku jutsu **(2)**.

Goku turned. "Hey Picco…lo…" he trailed off, stopping in midsentence as he felt _it_. "It" was odd. A strange, new ki that just felt _wrong_, not meant to be, not of this world. That's when Goku spotted the boy in Piccolo's arms. "Piccolo," Goku began, this time more sternly. "What on Earth…?" The green man nodded, understanding.

"I don't know, but he's hurt," was all that he cared to say. He did not have to say more; Goku immediately led Piccolo into the house without prompting. There, they laid the boy down on the guest bed. "His injuries aren't too bad," Piccolo murmured, as not to wake the boy, "so he shouldn't need a senzu." Goku nodded in agreement.

The Namekian glanced at his companion. Goku had an odd expression as he looked down at the boy. It showed a combination of three very different emotions: wariness of the boy's ki, concern for his wellbeing, and a strange sort of paternal instinct. Piccolo was shocked at the latter. He had never seen the Saiyan react this way to someone who could be an enemy. He had seen Goku be kind to enemies before (Piccolo, himself, included), but never quite like this.

"Goku," he called. The addressed started at the noise.

"Yes?" Goku gazed at Piccolo, genuinely confused. Were Piccolo anyone else, Goku would have forced that childish grin of his, but the black-haired man trusted Piccolo in a way that he trusted no other, so he felt safe enough to show his true emotions around the other.

Piccolo studied Goku, realizing that he had seen that expression on his face before. It was something akin to the way he had looked Goten's leg was broken by the leader of that alien syndicate. It was parental worry. Piccolo smirked in an odd way.

"He reminds you of Goten," he murmured. Goku grinned.

"Yup, I guess he does."

***

Trunks and Goten sat facing each other in a small bakery-café. Trunks seemed perfectly at peace, but Goten looked worried.

"Trunks-kun? Why can't I order more than one meal? One each isn't gonna be enough for us!" Trunks chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Chibi. I've got a surprise for you. Trust me, one will definitely be enough." Goten did not look very reassured by that. Still, he did trust Trunks, more than anyone else in the entire world, so he decided to let it be.

"So," Goten began, thinking of a new subject to talk about. "How're things with…what's her name again?"

"Buffy," Trunks corrected simply. **(3)**

"Oh yeah. I like her; she's cool." Trunks shook his head. Goten rarely liked the girls Trunks dated. Buffy was one of the few exceptions. Even so, if Goten didn't like one of Trunks's girlfriends, he would bite the bullet and deal with her.

"She knows I'm an alien, you know," the lavender-haired half-Saiyan cut in softly.

"Really?" Goten was in shock. Most girls couldn't deal with that simple fact and broke up with Trunks the minute that they truly found out about his lifestyle. Most girls just couldn't handle warrior races (his mother, Bulma, and Videl being the few exceptions).

"Funny thing. The minute I told her, she laughed and said she'd dealt with weirder things." Goten had to laugh at that.

"They're weirder things than us?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to meet them." They shared a laugh at this. "Actually," Trunks began, "she said she's dated a few of them." Goten nearly choked on his chocolate milk at that, causing the other to chuckle. "Yeah, her last boyfriend—I think his name was William or something—apparently, he was one of those 'weirder things.'" Goten nodded.

"Weird name. What happened? Did they break up?" Trunks shook his head.

"No, he died." Goten frowned solemnly.

"That's too bad--" The clack of high heels alerted the two half-Saiyans that their waitress was coming towards them. She came over with a tray of food and grinned.

"All right, boys, here's your food." With that, she set down two plates with sandwiches and fries and left the two boys to their lunch.

Trunks smirked at Goten, taking out a vial of clear liquid. "Okay, Chibi," he began, "are you ready for this?" He handed Goten the vial. The black-haired boy stared and stared at it, but it didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. He shook it none too lightly. Trunks snatched in back. "Don't do that! Baka! Anyway, this is something that Mom and I invented. We call it 'Edo Edi Essum Minor' **(4)**."

"Oooh, Latiny."

"Pretty much. Well, what this does is…" he trailed off and stared at Goten's happy-go-lucky face, knowing that there probably wasn't a single thought going through his best friend's mind. "Nevermind, you'd never get it. Basically, if you take a little of this before you eat, you won't have to eat as much to get full."

"Awesome!" Trunks shook his head, gazing at his companion fondly. He handed the vial to Goten.

"Take exactly two sips." Goten did as instructed.

"Oh wow! Strawberry!" Trunks nodded, glad that his friend approved of the flavor. He took two sips himself, and with that, they dug in.

It only took the two about five minutes tops to finish their meals, which caught the attention of most of the restaurant. Once they did, Goten was shocked. Sure his plate was empty, but there was only one of it.

"Trunks-kun, it works! I'm full!" Trunks grinned.

"Me too. We're still working out the kinks when it comes to Saiyans, but it works fine on humans." Goten raised an eyebrow.

"But it worked fine on us just now."

"No it's more that, we're worried that this amount of food isn't sufficient for a Saiyan's metabolism. We think it might cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies at the least. We could even starve to death if we're not careful." Goten stared at Trunks, obviously confused. Trunks sighed.

"We can't use it too often just yet."

"Oh! Okay!" Trunks called over their waitress and paid for both meals (against Goten's wishes).

"Come on, Chibi. We wouldn't want to keep Dad waiting." With that, the two left, ready for the first _real_ spar either of them had had in a long while.

***

Gohan got out his keys to open the little house in Mount Paozu district 439. With Videl and his three-year-old daughter, Pan, out shopping for the day, Gohan had decided to visit in on his parents and maybe finish that chemistry book he had started the other day. He opened the door, a small smile on his face at the thought.

"Mom, Dad, it's me," he called. "Anyone home?" There was no response. Perhaps they were out. Gohan decided that he should check for any notes before jumping to conclusions. If they were out, he could always just read his book until someone returned. "Goten?" he tried, knowing that his younger brother was probably at school, but one can never be sure.

He moved to the kitchen looking for any notes at all. He found something taped to the fridge. It read:

_Goten-_

_I'm out getting some groceries for dinner, and then I'm meeting an old friend of mine to catch up. If no one's home when you get back from school, it probably means your father's training somewhere (you know how he is). I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back. Probably before you come home, but I left this just in case. There are snacks in the cabinet if you and Trunks are hungry (I trust he'll be with you). See you soon._

_Love, Mom._

"Hm, well, that explains where Mom is," Gohan began to himself. "I wonder where Dad decided to train. I wouldn't mind watching." Gohan made the executive decision to search for his father's ki. Then, he could pinpoint his exact location and go watch him train. Gohan focused deeply. He sensed no battle ki. If Goku was training, surely his ki would have spiked. Nothing. His father's ki was nowhere to be found, meaning that he was suppressing it, i.e. not training but relaxing.

Gohan was about to give up and just wait for his father to return home when he felt _it_. A new ki that was so unearthly that it almost frightened Gohan. It was not a battle ki; in fact, it was a rather weak ki, but it was so very bizarre that Gohan was sure that he could have found it anywhere in the universe, no matter how faint. That's when things got weirder. Gohan attempted to identify its exact location, but found that the source of ki was somewhere either in or just outside the house.

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he threw off his glasses and dress shirt, taking a fighting stance. "Come out!" he called, powering up. "I know you're in here!" There was a response; however, it did not come from the person he expected.

"Gohan?"

"Ah! Piccolo-san!" Gohan cried, turning to look at his mentor. He powered back down. "You scared me. What're you doing here?" Piccolo smirked.

"I'm guessing you sensed our new guest as well," he stated simply. Gohan blinked.

"You mean that weird new ki? Did you sense it too?" Piccolo nodded.

"Yes, I started sensing it sometime yesterday." He placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Here, come with me." Piccolo led Gohan to the guest bedroom, not far away from the latter's old room. He opened the door to reveal Goku looking down at a figure on the bed.

"I found your son," Piccolo murmured as he walked into the room, Gohan in tow. Goku blinked, turning only to find his son standing beside the Namekian.

"Hey, Gohan! What're you doing here?" Gohan smiled.

"Got off work early. Videl and Pan are out so I decided to stop by." Goku nodded, always happy to see his son. However, Gohan's face fell. "Dad, who's this?" At this question, Goku also grew serious.

"We're not entirely sure. Piccolo found him out in the woods." Gohan nodded. Leave it to Piccolo to be the first person to sense danger. But, as Gohan took a closer look at the figure, he noted that the boy did not seem all that dangerous. He was no older than Goten! They had never faced an enemy like this, so why would they face one now? Still, that strange ki was more than unnerving.

"W-What is he?" Both men shook their heads, very much unsure of the answer themselves.

"I really dunno, son, but…is it just me or does he look very familiar?" Gohan and Piccolo both took a closer look at the boy. The taller man saw nothing about the boy that he would deem "familiar"; Gohan, on the other hand, did.

"Now that you mention it, he really does." Gohan and Goku shared a glance. "I just can't place him." Goku nodded.

"Me neither. Who knows? Maybe Chichi or Goten can recognize him." Gohan continued looking down at the boy, as if his form held all of the answers. Looking at him, he really did seem strangely like Goten. Perhaps it was because the two seemed so close in age.

"Piccolo-san," he began quietly, "he…he can't be an enemy, can he?" Piccolo stepped towards him.

"I don't think so, kid, but we can never be sure." He looked to Goku, who nodded in turn.

"Piccolo's right, son. We've had to face deceitful enemies in the past, but we can't call this guy evil until we've met him, right?" Gohan grinned, nodding.

"Goku, one day that trusting nature of yours is going to get you killed." Goku shrugged.

"Oh, you say that every time I give someone the benefit of the doubt! I mean, I gave Vegeta a second chance, and he turned out just fine." Piccolo rolled his eyes.

"It only took him about ten years," he muttered.

"And," Goku continued, seemingly ignoring Piccolo's comment, "I also gave you a second chance, didn't I, Piccolo?" Unable to argue with that, the Namekian nodded.

"Fair enough." Gohan grinned. "What're you so happy about, kid?" Piccolo asked, noting the huge smile on Gohan's face.

"It's nothing," he began softly. "It's just…I forgot how funny it is when you two bicker."

"_We don't bicker_!!" Both Goku and Piccolo cried at the same time. Gohan had to laugh at that.

"Sure you do. Worse than an old married couple."

"We do not!"

"Mmmn," came a soft moan from the bed. All three men turned to look at the boy that Piccolo had found. Dark eyelashes fluttered open to reveal bright pearl-like eyes.

"White eyes," Gohan murmured. "Maybe he _is_ an alien." Piccolo did not look nearly as certain.

"I don't know about that, kid. He wasn't near any space ships when I found him. Besides, his ki feels too strange to even be an alien's." Gohan nodded; Piccolo, as always, had good points. There was a reason that he was considered to have the greatest mind of all the warriors on Earth after all.

The boy blinked bleary white eyes, before sitting up. He gauged his surroundings, realizing that he had absolutely no idea where he was. His eyes widened at the thought. He looked around quickly, backing into the bed's headboard. It was then that he noticed the three very unusual people who were staring at him rather strangely. He gasped in surprise, before jumping out of the bed and backing towards the door. He slipped into a fighting stance that Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo had never seen before.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded in a low snarl. "What do you want?" Piccolo stepped into a stance of his own.

"We could be asking you the same questions, kid," he growled. However, Goku held a hand out in front of Piccolo, giving him a look that plainly stated, "Get the fuck out of that fighting stance right now, or I will personally sock you one as Super Saiyan Three." Needless to say, it was more than effective. With that, Goku turned back to the boy.

"Piccolo, he's not an enemy; he's just scared is all. You'd be too if you were in his position." Goku held both hands out in plain view of the boy in a friendly, non-threatening gesture. He grinned. "Hi!" he greeted cheerily. "I'm Son Goku, this is my son, Gohan, and our friend Piccolo." He gestured to the two as he addressed them. "Piccolo here found you unconscious out in the woods, and we just wanted to make sure you were okay, so we brought you to my house." The boy still did not move from his stance, as he was not entirely convinced.

"Why didn't you take me to a hospital then?" Gohan was the one who responded.

"There aren't any cities nearby that we could take you to." The boy seemed to relax a bit, as he could tell that the two were not lying.

"Here," Goku began, "why don't we go to the kitchen, and we can try to sort this whole business out." Goku and Gohan both made their way over to the door, but Piccolo did not move. Because of this, the boy remained in his stance. "Piccolo," Goku called, "come on, you're making him uncomfortable." The green man took one more wary glance at the boy before following the other two. The boy waited a moment before trailing the three as well.

Goku and Gohan both took seats around the rather large wooden round table in the kitchen. Piccolo chose to stand, as did the boy.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Gohan asked kindly.

"No," the boy murmured softly. "That's all right."

"So," began Goku, smiling at his new guest. "Can you tell us your name? Age? That kind of stuff." The boy swallowed, feeling awkward. He said nothing at first, weighing his options. He had no idea who these people were, so was it safe to tell them information? He was taught in training that when tortured, one should only give one's name, rank, and registration number. He doubted the three in front of him needed his registration number, so name and rank would do.

"My name is Neji," he said softly, nervously almost. He sounded a bit like Hinata. Still, he did not say his clan name, knowing that anyone could recognize a Hyuuga when they see one. "I'm a jounin." Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo shared glances.

" 'Jounin'? I'm not sure what that means, but good to meet ya, Neji!" Goku offered Neji his hand. The latter shook it warily.

"Neji…" This time, it was Gohan who spoke. "I swear I've heard that somewhere before." Goku turned to Gohan, nodding.

"Me too, actually."

"It's not a common name, is it?" asked Gohan.

"Hm..." Goku mused. "Maybe I met someone on Yardrat named Neji. You're not a Yardratian, are you, Neji?" Neji blinked, having no idea what the man was talking about.

"…Not to my knowledge?"

"Oh, then maybe in the Afterlife I-"

"Goku, he's not dead or from Yardrat," Piccolo snapped. "Besides, if you had met him in one of those places, why would Gohan recognize him?" Goku stared at Piccolo for a moment, before smiling.

"Oh yeah! Good point." Neji looked between the three, never more confused in his entire life.

"_Oh dear God, it's finally happened,"_ he thought._ "I've gone completely and utterly mad. I'm obviously in the Konoha Mental Institution right now, and these are my fellow inmates. Well, at least I'll be away from the Hyuuga mansion, and I'm sure my team will visit me. I wonder why they haven't given me a straightjacket yet."_

"Right so, Neji-san," Gohan began, staring at the brunette calmly. "Can you tell us more about yourself? Where you're from? How old you are?" Neji figured that since he was in an asylum, he might as well talk to his new inmate friends. It wouldn't matter what he said since revealing information about Konoha was no longer a problem.

"Well, I'm sixteen-"

"Oh! I have a son about your age!"

"Let him finish, Goku."

"Sorry."

"And, I was born and raised in Konoha." He paused as he noticed that Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo were all looking at each other, quite confused. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Neji," Goku began, "it's just that, we've never heard of a Konoha before." Neji's eyes widened.

"But, isn't that where we are right now?" All three shook their heads.

"No, Neji-san. You're at Mount Paozu, District 439." All of the colour (not that there was much to begin with) seemed to drain from Neji's face.

"Gohan-san," he murmured, "could you show me a map?"

***

Goten knelt on the ground, panting, his skin glistening with sweat. He looked up at Vegeta, who seemed to have barely broken a sweat, though his body was adorned with various cuts and bruises (not as much as Goten mind, you, but still more than he gave credit for). Goten was proud of a particular scrape on Vegeta's side caused by a well-timed Kamehameha wave.

Goten looked to his left. There lay Trunks. He was no longer Super Saiyan nor conscious, but he could claim boasting-rights to quite a few more of Vegeta's injuries than Goten could. Still, after Vegeta had Final Flashed the two of them at full power, only Goten could manage to stay conscious. If Goten could do one thing better than all of the Saiyans that he knew, it was take a hit.

Vegeta dropped a bit lower in the air. "Is that all you've got, Gaki?" he taunted. "I thought you were better than this." Goten powered up, as he stood, dropping into his, Trunks's, and Vegeta's stance. "That's more like it." Goten charged Vegeta, sending a flurry of punches and kicks his way, all of which he dodged. The younger managed to connect once with a knee to the other's chin. In response, Vegeta simply backhanded him with enough force to send him spinning to the ground. He recovered quick enough to brace him self as he hit the earth. He landed on his hands and feet and swiftly pushed off the ground, back-flipping his way behind Vegeta. He resumed his stance.

Vegeta chuckled, his trademark smirk still of his face. "You recover fast, Gaki," he commented. "And you don't go down easy. Use that to your advantage if you're ever in a real battle." Goten nodded, taking that bit of advice to heart. That's when he noticed as the Vegeta that he thought was talking to him, turned out to be an after-image. He saw it just in time to sidestep as Vegeta came with a kick from behind. This time, the two landed face to face. "And you have good eyes. You're not weak, Gaki; you just have different weapons at your disposal so to speak." At this, Goten smiled. Vegeta was in a good mood to be complimenting him like this. "So, are you ready for another round?"

Goten grinned. "Always." They charged at each other once more, Goten countering Vegeta's kick with his knee. In this spit second, Goten got an idea. He used his other leg to kick Vegeta in the jaw as he flipped a fair distance away. He used his momentum to keep flying backwards, as he steadied himself. He lifted both hands parallel to each other as he aimed for the momentarily-stunned Vegeta. "Galick Gun," he cried, "FIRE!!!" The beam of energy hit Vegeta straight on, blasting him back against a nearby plateau (sad to say, the plateau did not survive the impact).

However, the blast did not have quite the oomph that Goten had desired, as it only took a moment for Vegeta to recover. He stood, brushing the dust from his gi, before doing something that Goten had never seen before: he laughed. Sure, Goten had seen Vegeta chuckle, but never full out laugh quite like this. It made Goten laugh as well. Vegeta stalked his way over, arms crossed. "I have to admit I wasn't expecting that, but don't count on that winning any _real_ battles. Hell, it probably won't even work on me a second time."

"But what if it's a Big Bang Attack next time?" Goten argued.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" They stared at each other for a moment, Vegeta gazing at Goten in an almost fatherly way. "Come on," he began, "we need to wake that useless lump I call a son." Goten smiled, knowing that "Gaki" and "useless lump" were the closest things Vegeta had to pet-names. He watched as the Saiyan prince began walking over to Trunks. Well, now was as good a time as ever (especially since Trunks was unconscious and couldn't make fun of Goten for what he was about to do).

"Vegeta-san?" he called somewhat sheepishly.

"What?" came Vegeta's gruff, almost annoyed reply. Goten took a deep breath, swallowing.

"Can I…call you 'Shishou'?" There was a pregnant silence, as Vegeta stopped in his tracks **(5)**.

Vegeta did not turn as he asked, "Wouldn't you rather honour your brother or that idiot father of yours with that title?" Though he knew that the other could not see it, Goten shook his head.

"No, 'cause when I think of the person who taught me everything I know about fighting, and life, and stuff…well, I definitely don't think of my dad, and I don't think of Gohan; I think of you. And well, that's the person you're supposed to call 'Shishou,' right?" Goten finished softly, wondering how stupid that all sounded. Probably very.

Vegeta only paused for a moment before he said, "Call me whatever you want. I don't care as long as you give me a challenge." Goten's face lit up at this, for in Vegeta-speak, that was, "I'd be honoured."

He ran to catch up with the other, and the two awoke Trunks with little difficulty.

"How long was I out?" he managed as he gently rubbed his temples.

"Ten minutes, tops," Goten replied cheerily. "Hey, you got the time?"

"Yeah, it's about…holy shit! It's three forty-five!" Goten gasped.

"Wow! We've been fighting the whole day! Oh, hey, school's out already. It's safe to go home." Trunks nodded.

"Mind if I come?"

" 'Course not! You're practically family! We better get going, before my mom starts to worry." Again, the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan nodded. He looked over towards his father.

"I'll see you at home, Dad," he called as he took off into the air. Goten looked back at Vegeta with a smile.

"See you later, Shishou," he called as he too took off. Vegeta just smirked, while Trunks wondered what he had missed while he was unconscious.

***

Neji could not get over this. He had looked at the map several times, looking for something that he recognized as familiar, but nothing. Not a single city, country, or continent was the same as the world that he knew. "West City," "Mount Paozu," "District 12" "District 439." None of it made sense! Then when he had asked his newfound associates about the cities and countries that he knew of, they did not recognize a single one. He had asked them about Kirigakure, Kaze no Kuni, Ho no Kuni, Kumogakure, every hidden village and country that he could think of, but still, none of them rang a bell. It was almost as though he was on a different planet (though that would not surprise him at this point).

"Neji-san," called Gohan softly, "You're pacing. Don't worry too much; we'll figure this out. For now, why don't you relax a little? Here, your clothes are all tattered, and you're dirty from being out in the woods for so long. I'll grab you a change of clothes, and you can shower." Neji sighed, before nodding.

"Thank you, Gohan-san." With that, Gohan found him an old Capsule Corp. t-shirt, boxers, socks, and a pair of jeans, and sent the brunette over to the shower. Once that was settled, Gohan sat himself down on the couch beside his father (Piccolo stood beside them). He sighed.

"He's a nice kid," Goku said simply. Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, he really is. I hope we can find out a way to send him back to…wherever it is he came from." There was a collective nodding among the three.

"We can talk to Dende tomorrow," suggested Piccolo. "If he and Mr. Popo don't know what's going on, we'll try Kaio-sama."

"Right," cut in Goku. "And there's always Old Kaio-shin and Kibito-Kaio. We'll figure this out, don't worry about…what happened to you two?" Goku was now referring to the two teenage half-Saiyans that had just let themselves into the house. The two were bruised and bloody, covered in dirt, and obviously aching in places that they did not know they had. Trunks chuckled. Noticing a distinct lack of Chichi, he decided that there was no harm in telling the truth.

"We…uh…ditched school to spar with my dad." Goku's face brightened at that.

"Really? That's awesome!" Gohan elbowed his father in the stomach.

"Ow! …Uh…I mean you shouldn't ditch school to spar with Vegeta…no matter how fun that sounds." Gohan elbowed him again. "Ow! And you definitely shouldn't ditch school to spar with me…wink, wink." Gohan elbowed him a third time. "Ow!"

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll ditch school and spar with you next week!" Goku grinned.

"Really? Yes! I can't wait! Ow! Gohan, what was that one for?"

"For encouraging them." As the two squabbled, Goten made his way over to a certain Namekian.

"Hey, Piccolo," he greeted. "What're you doing here?" At that Goku stood.

"Oh, well, we have a houseguest for the time being. Piccolo brought him over." Goten and Trunks shared confused glances.

"Really? Who-?" Before Goku could answer, Neji walked out of the bathroom.

"Thanks for the clothes, Gohan-san." He blinked, looking at the new visitors, one of whom was shocked beyond speechless.

"Oh, Neji," Goku began, "this is Trunks, and my younger son, Goten (I bet you can tell which is which). Goten, Trunks, this is-"

"HYUUGA NEJI?!!!" Goten cried before promptly fainting. The whole room shared in a shocked silence.

Finally, Goku turned to Neji and explained, "He gets it from his mother."

***Dude, this chapter was SO much fun to write! I am loving this story right now!! Trunks and Goten's chemistry together is hilarious! I love them! Even as teenagers (it's too bad they didn't get much of a chance to have crazy antics in DBGT). It's too bad that Trunks is straight in this fic, or else they'd be together faster than you can say, "Truten." Anyway, I'm so sorry about the length. Half of it was written on the plane to England, the other half on the way back. Eight hours in a cramped airline does make for a wonderful writing party. What first inspired me was **_**Dragon Ball: Evolution**_** was playing on the way there. It was hysterical! I was laughing my head off for about an hour. Then, it got a bit more serious, and I was all like "What a twist?!" Though, I have to say, I did see the plot twist within the first minute or so. It was SO obvious if you've seen Dragon Ball, at least, in my opinion. Anyway, here are some footnotes:**

**1) Gaki- a Japanese word that more or less means "brat".**

**2) Buku Jutsu- it's the Japanese name for what us Funimation dub watchers call flying.**

**3) That's right. This is a mild DBZ/Buffy crossover, but none of the Buffy characters will be playing a big role. Mostly just meant for laughs. Really, don't pay it too much mind. Oh, and sorry about the Season 7 spoilers for those of you who don't already know.**

**4) Bad Latin. Very VERY bad Latin!**

**5) Shishou- it basically means "Master" or "Teacher." It's kind of like "Sensei" except not nearly a widely used in anime/manga. **

**Okay, thanks for being awesome everyone! I'd especially like to thank Obelisk of Light (that last line is for you by the way), StephanG, and Oneblackened for reviewing. You guys are the BEST!! I love you! Thanks for reading, everyone!**


	3. I Was a Teenage Manga Character

***Hey everyone! How's it going? You know, I was thinking of changing the title of this fic just a bit. Instead of "Of Ninjutsu and Kamehamehas" I was thinking of changing it to, "Of Nunchucks and Kamehamehas." What do you guys think? Anyway, is it just me, or do Goten and Neji already have some chemistry going on during this chapter? Personally, I think that stories can't function on plot alone. The characters are the ones who drive the story. This is especially true for comedies (thought this is more of a comedy/drama I suppose). The characters have to be able to be comfortable enough with each other to be able to go off each other, whether it be slapstick or sarcasm, and I think Neji and Goten just sort of work really well together. I suppose it's because Goten is a bit like Lee and Naruto, so Neji's character is naturally used to going off of that personality-type. Still, Goten has his own unique character too, and I think these two will do great together. Knowing me, they'll be making out within the hour (jk, jk, maybe not that soon). **

**P.S. **

**Okay, the soundtrack to **_**West Side Story**_** was surprisingly appropriate for the scene where Neji and Goten are outside together. That's right. **_**West Side Story**_** music was appropriate in a DBZ fanfic. Wow. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** or **_**Naruto**_**. I especially don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** and **_**Naruto**_** at the same time, nor do I own any of the plentiful pop culture references that I may or may not mention in my story.**

**Chapter 3: I Was a Teenage Manga Character**

"Well," began Piccolo as he stared at the unconscious teenage half-Saiyan on the floor of the Son House living room, "that was…unexpected." It was a fair enough way to characterize the situation, if not a tad understated. The Namekian looked over to Goku. "So, how do we wake him?"

Neji gazed at the group, unsure of what to say. "He seemed to know who I am. My question is how." There was a collective murmur of agreement.

Gohan sighed. "Well, there's only one way to find out." He looked over to the lavender-headed boy standing by the door. "Trunks," he prompted.

"Sure thing," was the half-Saiyan's response. Without further delay, he kicked Goten in the ribs. "Wake up!" Goten sat up with a start, uttering a soft, "Huh?" He looked around, from left to right and back again.

"What happened?" This time, there was a collective sweat-drop.

"You have to teach me how to do that, Trunks," Goku exclaimed. "Whenever I kick him in the ribs and yell, 'Wake up,' he just rolls over, tells me that he doesn't want to go to school today, and starts sleeping. How do you do it?" Trunks shrugged.

"It's a very hard skill to learn, but someday, I may teach it to you, grasshopper."

"Did I faint?"

Piccolo rolled his eyes, before replying, "Yeah, kid, you did."

"Why?" asked Goten, thoroughly confused. Goku, Trunks, Gohan, and Piccolo all responded by pointing to Neji. "Oh, that's right…OH MY GOD!!! IT'S HYUUGA NEJI!!!" In response, the brunette merely covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head. He strode over to Goten (who was still seated on the ground).

"Yes, about that. Why do you know my name? I know that I'm fairly well-known in Ho no Kuni, but I doubt my reputation precedes me to…wherever this is." Goten nearly squealed.

"Oh wow! You even talk like him!!" Neji let out a frustrated sigh.

"Of course I sound like him. _I am him_!" Goten looked up at the Hyuuga, truly awed.

"You're serious? This isn't some sort of bad joke?" Now, Neji was getting angry.

"Okay, listen here! I am Hyuuga Neji. One moment I was in Konoha minding my own business, and the next I wake up in some crazy place, where there are random aliens running around fighting each other. _No! This is no joke!_" At this, Goten grew serious, and the other four people in the room were just becoming more and more confused by the exchange.

"So, you're telling me that you're the real Hyuuga Neji, as in Neji who was born in Konoha on July third to the Hyuuga Branch House, and then was branded with the juin seal at the age of four. The same Neji whose father died for the sake of his village, clan, and elder brother. The Neji who then became a fatalist and grew so resentful to his own clan that he attacked his younger cousin during the chuunin exams, only to be defeated by Naruto and shown the error of his ways. The Neji who nearly gave his life to help rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru's personal guard and to this day bears a scar near his left shoulder and lower right side…" Goten trailed off when Neji's legs gave out on him and he, too, sank to the floor. Goten's expression was still serious, but now it held a strange sort of melancholy as well. The others in the room were busy wondering what on earth had just happened.

Neji's eyes were so wide, frantic. He had never been so frightened, awed, shocked, and disbelieving at the same time. He cradled his head with his left hand, using the other to support his body, which at this point, felt like dead weight. "H-how? How do you…know all this? I-I-I've never seen you before in my life, and yet you just…I can't…w-who are you?" He looked straight into Goten's eyes. Goten had never seen such emotive eyes, filled with such fear, unimaginable sorrow, and anger, yet there was also a longing, a strange hope as if Neji truly wished for a moment like this. A moment in which someone could so truly and completely understand his actions and past. It was as though he finally had found someone who understood him completely. Somehow, Goten truly wanted to hug the brunette.

The black-haired boy settled for the next best thing: he gently rested a hand on Neji's shoulder and gave him the brightest, most sincere smile that he could muster. "I'm just Son Goten, Neji, and I think there's something I need to show you." He stood, but made a gesture as if to say, "Stay here." He helped Neji up. "I think everyone should see this, actually; I'll be right back, guys!" With that, Goten ran out of the room.

"Is anyone else very confused right now?" Leave it to Son Goku to say what is on everyone's mind. Gohan simply nodded at his father.

Trunks took a step closer to Neji. "Goten doesn't get that way with many people," Trunks explained. Neji wondered whether Trunks was referring to the random spouting of knowledge from people's childhoods or the kind, comforting smile that he had given Neji. The brunette decided to assume the latter. "I think he likes you," he continued with a wink. Neji was not sure whether to blush or to just smile and nod. Still, he knew only one thing for sure, and that was that Neji did not like the flood of emotion that Son Goten had managed to bring out of him with only a moment's encounter. He had felt everything from fear to anger to a strange sort of warm reassurance, contentment almost. He had somehow easily managed to find a way to break through his normal defense of stoicism (a feat that even Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee could not lay claim to), and again, Neji was not sure whether this was because of his uncalled for knowledge of his childhood, or that warm, placating smile. Either way, he just knew that Son Goten was one to be wary of.

"Aha! Found it!" came a cry from another room. With that, Goten ran back into the living room, bearing a manga anthology of all things. "Okay," began Goten softly, "Neji, this is gonna be very, very scary to you. Everyone else…well…I'll explain the rest in a second." He turned to Neji, grabbing the brunette's hand. "Here," he said cheerily, "we'd better sit down." They took a seat next to Goku on the couch, Trunks, Gohan, and Piccolo crowded around them. "Neji," he started again. He paused as if trying to find the right words. Neji however was wondering why he was not more bothered by the fact that Goten was referring to him so familiarly. At least _Gohan_ had the decency to use an honorific when speaking his name. Goten sighed, "You see, the reason why I know so much about you and your history is because…well, I've read it." Neji's eyes widened, as did everyone else's (aside from Goten that is).

"You're…not about to tell me that I've been transported into the future, and you've read about me in history textbooks or something…right?" At this, Goten laughed.

"What? No, of course not! Man, you've read too many sci-fi novels—ow!" Neji was only a little proud of the new red bump on Goten's head. Well, he did deserve it for that response after all. "Anyway," Goten continued, deciding to let bygones be bygones. His voice grew more serious with every word. "Neji, I don't know how to tell you this, but…" he trailed off, truly unsure. "Here, it'll be easier if I show you." With that, Goten flipped over the manga anthology to reveal a picture of a very, almost eerily familiar blond.

Neji snatched the book from Goten's hands, scrutinizing the picture with wide eyes. "This is…NARUTO?!!" Neji was not one to scream out names, but this time was a notable exception. He quickly turned to Goten, white eyes frightened. "This has to be a trick," he murmured, having no better explanation. "Why else would _Naruto_ of all people be on the cover of a manga?" Goten placed a comforting hand on Neji's shoulder.

However, it was Gohan who spoke next, "Goten, isn't Naruto the main character of the manga you like so much? Why is Neji so surprised to see a picture of him on a manga magazine if he's a manga character?" Goten shook his head.

"Nii-chan, that's just it," he glanced at Neji as he spoke. "Neji is familiar with Naruto, but not in the way you think." He took a deep breath before finally saying, "Neji knows Naruto, not because he reads the manga, but because he's a character in the manga." The entire room gasped, even Piccolo.

"WHAT?!" cried Goku. "You're telling me that we're housing a manga character?!"

"Pretty much." Neji stood suddenly, silencing everyone. He glared at Goten with a fiery intensity, teeth bared. Without hesitation, he punched the half-Saiyan right in the face. Neji was not nearly as strong as anyone else in the room, but somehow, Goten felt that one punch more than any of the ones Vegeta had thrown at him earlier.

"_You son of a bitch_," Neji snarled. "What kind of sick joke is this?! I'm in the right mind to-"

"Neji-san," Gohan called rather sternly. All eyes went to the eldest of the Goku's children. Gohan spoke calmly, a stark contrast to the blazing anger that raged in Neji's eyes. "Look, I know this all must seem like some sort of joke, but trust me, my brother would _never_ do something like that to anyone. Please, let's give him a chance to explain things further, okay?" Neji's eyes softened, as he looked between the Son brothers and their warm smiles. Still, he remained wary.

The brunette sighed, "All right." He helped Goten back onto the couch. The other merely held his reddening cheek and grinned.

"You sure do know how to throw a punch, huh Neji?" The white-eyed boy gazed at him sheepishly.

"Sorry," he began, blushing a bit, "I usually ask before I hit, but…"

"No problem! I understand." Goten hopped up. "Okay, I should show you some more proof. I have some things that ought to help a bit. Be right back!" Goten ran back out of the room at that. Neji watched him leave.

Trunks chuckled, "I've never seen him in such a good mood after being punched like that. He _really _likes you." Neji looked at Trunks like the half-Saiyan belonged in an asylum. Gohan, however, nodded in agreement.

"Well, you know how chivalrous he can get around a cute boy." At this, Neji openly gaped.

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"Well," began Trunks as he strode over to the brunette, "Goten doesn't exactly play for our team, so to speak." Neji blinked, still giving Trunks that look. The lavender-haired boy rolled his eyes. "He's gay," he said simply.

"You mean he likes me as in…" Neji trailed off, unsure of how to complete that sentence.

"Pretty much." Neji rubbed his temples. He had never been in a situation quite like this before. For once, Hyuuga Neji did not know what to make of something.

"But how? I mean, he barely even knows me!" Gohan rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much, Neji-san. Ask him about it if you're really unsure. My brother's very amicable; he wouldn't mind telling you just about anything really." Somehow, that did not make Neji feel any better.

"Piccolo, what does amkible mean?" asked Son Goku, the man that we entrust the safety of the universe with. The Namekian shook his head.

"…Friendly."

"Oh! So…am I amkible?"

"Yes, Goku, yes you are."

"Found them!" Goten cried as he dashed back into the room, taking his seat right next to Neji. Trunks was rather proud of the deep red blush that seemed to stain Neji's face. It did not go unnoticed by the other teenage half-Saiyan. "Oh, Neji, are you feeling all right?" He gently felt around Neji's face and neck (his forehead was covered of course). "You're flushed. You don't have a fever, do you?" It took all that Trunks had to keep his composure and not roll on the floor in hysterics.

"I'm fine," Neji practically squeaked.

"If you're sure…" A dumb nod. With that confirmation, Goten flipped open one of the many books he had brought with him. "Well, take a deep breath, Neji. This might be scary." Goten handed Neji a white book. Neji had to gasp, for on the cover was a perfect depiction of Nara Shikamaru and Naruto when the two were twelve.

"W-What in the name of the Shodaime Hokage…?" **(1)**. Neji gazed at the cover of the book in shock. In bold, orange kanji, it read "Naruto volume 12." Then near the title, there was a name that Neji had never seen before: "Kishimoto Masashi." The brunette decided to ignore that name for now, in favor of opening the book. Again, he gasped. Inside, there was a page that read "characters," and on this page, were pictures of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Gaara, all age twelve. There was a picture of the Sandaime Hokage, the Yondaime Kazekage, and his own uncle. Strangest of all, there was a picture of Neji himself, age thirteen.

Piccolo, Trunks, Gohan, and Goku had all crowded around Neji and Goten, confused, but eager to find out just what was happening. "Neji," the brunette read hesitantly aloud. "Part of the Cadet Branch of the Hyuuga Clan, as opposed to the Main Branch to which Hinata belongs. Neji is widely considered to be a genius." Neji put the manga down, staring blankly ahead with wide, pearl-like eyes. "Goten?" Goten tried to give Neji a small smile, but his facial muscles just would not move when he saw the dazed state his companion was in.

"Yeah?" was all that he could manage to say.

"This is really scary." Trunks nodded from behind.

"Yeah," the lavender-haired half-Saiyan replied. Goten threw an arm around Neji's shoulders.

"It's about to get worse," murmurs Goten. He picked up the book and flipped to a random page. "Here, uh, you should read this." Neji took a deep breath, before looking at the page. There he was, a boy of thirteen. He had his juin seal revealed; it was when he fought Naruto, many years ago. He began to read aloud. "It was Hinata-sama's third birthday," he read his own words, that he had said to Naruto in the chuunin exams. And there she was, his own cousin, looking exactly as she did in his memory. He swallowed, "My father and Hinata-sama's father over there…Hyuuga Hizashi and Hyuuga Hiashi-sama…were twin brothers. However, Hinata-sama's father…" Neji trailed off, unable to finish. He was visibly shaking now. This manga had captured everything so perfectly. The way that Neji spoke, and his mannerisms. Perfect. Word for word. Every time that Naruto had flinched, every time that Neji himself had paused, as if to find the right words. Everything. Again, he swallowed. "I-I think I need some air," he managed as he stood and walked out of the house. Goten stood to go after him, but Piccolo grabbed his shoulder.

"Give him some time, kid." Goten looked back and nodded.

"So," began Goku, "Neji is a manga character." Again, Goten nodded. "But he never realized that he was a manga character?"

"Evidently not," answered Trunks. "I mean, his world probably felt so _real_ to him. Think about it, his reality is fiction, but it's still his reality. I mean, for all we know, _we _could be manga characters too." Goku's obsidian eyes widened.

"Oh…this is giving me a headache. But if he's a manga character, then how did he end up in the real world?" At this, Piccolo chuckled.

"Goku, I think in your idiocy, you may have stumbled upon the key question of this situation." Goku blinked.

"Really? Thanks, Piccolo!"

"You do realize that I just insulted you, right?"

"Oh…what's that taste like?"

"Oh for the love of-" Goten stood, catching the attention of the rest of the room.

"I'm gonna go check on him," he murmured as he rushed outside. Gohan and Trunks shared knowing glances.

Trunks spoke first, "He really,_ really _likes him." No one could deny that.

Outside, Goten found Neji staring into the forest, sitting on a stump. The half-Saiyan's eyes softened as he saw the brunette bury his face in his hands.

"Neji?" he murmured softly. The Hyuuga quickly turned.

"Oh, Goten, it's you." He turned back to the forest. Goten smiled, knowing that such a gesture meant that Neji was more comfortable around the black-haired boy than he was letting on.

"How're you holding up?" Goten took a seat beside Neji.

"I'm…" he could not find any words to describe the way that he felt. It was strange, somewhere between fear, sadness, and anger. Goten just nodded.

"Yeah…well, whatever happens, we'll find you a way home." Neji looked up at Goten with an expression that the latter could only describe as miserable.

"Do I even want to go back?" Neji murmured to himself.

"What do you mean?" The brunette buried his face in his hands again.

"I don't know. I'm just so…I wasn't happy there, and now I find out that my whole life was a lie."

"It's not a lie!" Neji nearly gasped, as he turned towards Goten. The half-Saiyan was looking at him with a serious expression. "Neji, you're real. Or well, you're real to me."

"Why should I care?! If I go back, I'll just be rebuilding Konoha, a village that isn't real and has no purpose other than to entertain people. People have died! People I know! People I loved! And now I find out that there lives were meaningless, just a story in some manga!" It was at this point that Neji realized that he was crying. He swallowed, taking a shaky breath. "I don't even know what's real anymore. I have no purpose," he began softer. "I have no effect on the world. _Either_ world. I-" Neji was silenced as a pair of strong arms encircled him, pulling him towards a warm body. Goten was hugging him.

Neji was not generally one for physical contact, but this was…_nice_. It was unsettling and awkward, but at the same time, it was warm and sweet. He leaned into Goten, allowing a feeling of relief and calm to sweep over him. After what felt like hours, the half-Saiyan released him, but his head continued to swim, mind dazed, as if he was under a spell. "Thank you," he murmured finally. The two sat in silence for a moment.

Then, Goten spoke, "You do have an effect in the r- this world." Goten had stopped himself before he said "real" for Neji's sake. "At least, you did for me." The brunette weakly looked over at the half-Saiyan.

"How so?" At this, Goten gave Neji a small smile.

"Well, do you remember when you fought Kidoumaru?" Neji gave a dry chuckle.

"As you said yourself: I still have the scars." Goten had to grin at the fact that Neji was starting to act more like himself again.

"Well, I was about twelve or thirteen when I read those chapters about that fight…" Neji nodded, prompting him to continue. "It was about that time when I fought an enemy named Torba. It was a surprisingly similar situation because my brother, Trunks, and I had to fight three different enemies, one-on-one, so Dad and Shishou could get to their boss and destroy him." Every so often, Goten would look back at Neji, who would nod encouragingly. "I've never been the strongest or smartest fighter, nothing like you. When I first read about you, I couldn't understand where you were coming from at all since you were such a prodigy. I was always more of the underdog, so I understood Naruto and Lee a lot more than you, but then, I fought _this_ guy. Like you with Kidoumaru, I was really pushed to the limit. Generally, when we fight people stronger than us in our world, there's no contest. You either die, or someone comes to help you. There's no middle-ground. That's how I've always fought. If I was bested, I prayed for help. But, then…then I read about you. You fought someone much stronger than you, and you still won because you refused to give in, even when you were on death's doorstep. As I fought Torba, I was about to die. He had me cornered, and I was wounded pretty badly. I was ready to lay down and die, but then, I remembered the words I'd read the day before, your words Neji. You said, 'I can't afford to lose, even if my opponent is stronger, even if I were to die, I cannot lose.' When I remembered that, I thought, 'Hey, he may be a manga character, but Neji found a way to win, so why can't I?' And I did." At this, Goten laughed. "I actually won. And…" he gazed at Neji fondly. "It was all thanks to you."

Neji stared at Goten, awed. "Thank you, Goten," he managed. "Thank you. You've already…I just met you but…" Neji had no idea how to continue. Goten had made his way past all of Neji's defenses. He touched the brunette in a way that no one else had, not even Naruto. He made him feel…wanted, special, for no reason other than that he was Neji. Goten was warm and kind, loving and sweet. Neji was not sure what he was feeling, but he knew that he liked it. And still, it was as though he understood Neji completely. Like they had some sort of innate bond. It was strange, but again, Neji liked it. "I wish," he began slowly, "I wish there was something I could do for you." He was musing more to himself than to Goten, but still, the latter responded.

"Actually, there is something…" Neji stared at him, waiting for Goten to continue. "Well," Goten continued a bit sheepishly. "Will you…smile for me?"

It would not be an overstatement to say Neji was floored by that request. "Smile for you?" Neji would have laughed had he not known that his companion was completely serious. He sighed. "Sure," he murmured, "why not?" He looked into Goten's eyes and gave him the warmest, most beaming smile he could muster.

Goten had never been so giddy as when the cutest of any boy he had ever met, smiled at him like that. If he had dropped dead right there, he would have died content. "Now that's the smile I fell in love with," Goten commented. Needless to say, Neji blushed worse than Hinata on a bad day from that. He was surprised that he did not faint. Goten just laughed, enjoying how adorable the blush made Neji. He grabbed the brunette's hand. "Come on, let's go inside." With that, he led Neji into the house.

"Took you two long enough," Trunks remarked as Neji and Goten entered the living room. The latter stuck out his tongue at his best friend. A gesture that the lavender-headed boy gladly returned.

"Neji-san, would you like a seat?" Gohan gestured to the empty seat on the couch. Neji nodded.

"Thank you," he murmured politely.

"Anyway," the bespectacled man continued cheerfully, "while you and Goten were outside, Dad, Piccolo, Trunks and I were talking and—Goten, Trunks! Would you two cut that out!" The conflict had escalated to the point of Trunks tackling Goten to the ground and grabbing him in a headlock. Both flinched at the sound of Gohan's shout.

"Sorry, Gohan."

"Sorry, Nii-chan." They crept over to the couch and sat down either on or near it.

"That's better." Gohan turned back to Neji. "As I was saying, we were wondering about a couple things. Well, first and foremost, it's about your ki. It feels very different from ours if you haven't noticed yourself…" Gohan trailed off as he noticed that Neji was staring at him, very confused. "What's wrong?"

"Well," began the brunette hesitantly. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh!" Gohan exclaimed, chuckling. He recalled a similar situation happening when he had first tried to explain the principles of ki to Videl. "Maybe you call it something else," he continued. "You see, what we call 'ki' is the latent energy inside your body. It's something that fills us and the world around us. Everyone has it, and if you're taught correctly, you can sense it. My family and friends can all sense ki, but most people aren't even aware that it exists. But, you see, it's just that _your_ ki has a rather strange feeling to it in comparison to most ki signatures I've felt." Neji nodded.

"I…well, I think I understand what you mean. I can't see why my ki signature would be different than anyone else's…"

"Are you from Earth in your world?" Piccolo cut in, catching everyone's attention. "Sometimes aliens like Namekians and people from Yardrat have very different ki signatures than Saiyans and humans." Neji merely shook his head.

"No…I can assure you that I'm one hundred percent human." At this, the rest of the room simply exchanged glances (Goten, excluded). "What's wrong?"

Goku spoke next, "Well, Neji, it's just that…you definitely don't _feel_ like a human. In fact, I've never felt anything like you in my life, and I've met plenty of aliens. I am one myself." Neji decided to ignore that last part for now, in favor of the more pressing matter of his ki. It was so confusing. Neji had heard of plenty of odd things in his life, between all of the kekkei genkais and jutsus he had seen **(2)**. In fact, chakra itself was pretty strange. At this thought, Neji's eyes widened.

"That's it," he mused aloud. Everyone stared, waiting for him to continue. "Chakra…" He gazed at Goten, knowing that he was the only one in the room who could possibly understand what he was thinking. Goten stared back, confused, until realization hit him like a truck. He gasped.

"Of course!" he shouted. They nodded at each other.

"Chakra?" questioned Trunks.

"You better explain," Neji murmured to Goten. "You understand ki more than I do." Goten smiled.

"Right, so," he began to Piccolo, Trunks, Gohan, and Goku. "I think what Neji's thinking is that the reason his ki signature is so strange even though he's perfectly human, is because in his world, people don't have ki. They have something called chakra." He paused. "I'm no expert on chakra, but from what I know, it's inherently different from ki. Hang on, I'll grab a couple of books." Goten ran into his room, before returning with three more copies of _Naruto_. He put the new ones in a pile with volume twelve, ordering them by their number.

Neji still felt a little awkward looking at perfect depictions of himself, his friends, and people that he knew. In the pile, he saw pictures of Lee and Gai-sensei, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, as well as himself and Hinata. Goten began flipping through the books, marking pages that he deemed important. Once finished, he grinned, "All right, welcome to Chakra 101. We should go outside near the lake, because we're going to need some demonstrations from Neji!"

Goten led the rest of the group outside. There was a clearing with a decently-sized lake near the house. It was surrounded by the tallest trees in Mount Paozu. Though it was now evening, the sun was not yet ready to set, as it was nearly summer. Goten nodded to himself. "Yeah, this'll be fine. Okay, let's get started then." He took out the books, starting with the manga with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura on the cover, labeled with a two. "Right, so chakra is apparently," Goten flipped to a page in the back of the book, "the mixture of mental…and spiritual energies. What the hell?!" Neji sighed, hitting Goten on the head for good measure.

"On second thought, I better explain this." Neji turned back to the other four, who were staring, obviously confused. "God, I never thought I'd be an academy teacher at sixteen. Okay, I come from a world dominated by shinobi."

"What?" The question came from Goku.

"Ninjas."

"Oh!"

"So, Ninjas use something called ninjutsu to perform their jutsus." Goku still did not seem so sure.

"Nin…jutsu?"

"Ninja magic," cut in Trunks.

"Would you two shut up and listen," yelled Piccolo. It was effective to say the least. Neji nodded at the green man to show his appreciation.

"Ninjutsu is very arduous to," he looked at Goku, deciding to correct his choice in words. "…hard to learn, and you do so by learning to manipulate your chakra. Chakra is a type of energy that's created when you mix your stamina (body energy) with reiki (spiritual energy). Once you focus your energies enough to create chakra, you can manipulate it."

"You mean like ki blasts, right?" Gohan asked, trying to understand this complicated matter.

"What's a ki blast?" Neji knew it was impolite to answer a question with a question, but still, he understood ki about as well as Goku understood chakra.

Trunks held out his hand and fired a beam of light out of it that was just powerful enough to vaporize a nearby rock. "That," he said simply. Neji did not openly gape very often, but he did not see people fire concussive beams of light from their hands very often either.

"No…I've definitely never seen someone do that before. When I say manipulate chakra, I mean to make bunshins, or change your appearance. Simple stuff like that." It was now time for the other four to openly gape. "What? You've never seen someone do that." There was an unspoken, "No." Neji sighed. He did a few hand signs before a puff of smoke appeared. When it cleared, there were two Gotens. Then, Neji released the jutsu. "I just used chakra to change my appearance." He chose to ignore the number of wide eyes staring at him like he had just grown a second head or something. "You manipulate chakra as such by weaving hand signs. Before learning a jutsu, you must learn the hand signs necessary to perform it." Goten decided it was time to add something.

"Also, chakra can be used to climb things and walk on water, Neji?" Neji nodded before running up a nearby tree. He backflipped off of the tree and landed perfectly on the surface of the lake, only causing a small ripple. The four gasped, even Piccolo. Neji jumped back to land. Goten continued, "Neji has something special called a kekkei genkai. A kekkei genkai is an ability that's transferred from parent to child. Neji has one called the Byakugan. This allows him to see very far away, behind himself, and even inside people. This allows him to see people's chakra circulatory system. A chakra circulatory system is an organ system that people in Neji's world have. Chakra circulates through it like blood. People with the Byakugan have the ability to attack this with their own chakra, thus killing them from the inside. It's kinda creepy when you think about it." Again, Neji hit Goten. "Ow!"

"Um, Neji," began Goku. "Can we see your Bya…thingy?" Neji gave Goku a small smile.

"Sure." His brow furrowed in deep concentration before he shouted, "Byakugan!" The chakra pathways surrounding his eyes grew larger and more rigid as his pupils and irises became more distinct. Neji could see everything around him. Unable to help himself, the brunette decided to look inside the bodies of his new companions, but he did not see a chakra circulatory system. No, his companions were just outlines filled with blue light. He gasped. Neji could have sworn that he saw this somewhere before, but where? His eyes widened as he saw images of battle. A monster attacking his team. Then came a terrible pain in his head. He grit his teeth, before he could take no more. He fainted.

Goku, having the quickest reflexes, was the first to reach out and catch Neji. He turned back to Goten with a stern expression. "Is that normal?" he asked. Goten merely shook his head dumbly. "We'd better get him inside then." With that, Goku threw the brunette's limp body over his shoulder and dashed over to the house, the other four in tow.

The lake was not all that far from the house, so it only took a few minutes to get back. However, as soon as they made it back, they discovered that they were not alone in the area. Chichi had returned home.

"Goku-sa, Goten-chan, Gohan-chan, where'd you three go? I was worried about y-" She paused as soon as she saw a boy that she did not recognize lying over her husband's shoulder. "Who on earth is that?" Goku gave his wife his signature grin, before handing Neji over to Goten.

"Son, why don't you lie Neji down in the guest room? I'll can do the explaining to your mom." Goten nodded, rushing inside, followed by Trunks. Chichi and Goku too entered the house as Goku began to explain the peculiar story of the boy that Piccolo found. The Namekian himself remained outside with his student.

"Kid, I'm not liking the looks of this," he murmured as he crossed his arms. "Something about this whole mess just doesn't seem right." Gohan nodded.

"I know what you mean," he replied. "But what could it be?" Piccolo grew evermore serious. He nodded to Gohan.

"I'm thinking that Neji didn't come here by accident," he commented cryptically. The bespectacled man's eyes widened at the thought.

"You mean like he was brought here?" Piccolo merely nodded. "But why? Why would anyone want to bring a manga character to our world? What's the point? I mean, he's just a kid…why him of all people?" Piccolo suspired, before giving Gohan a wry smirk.

"I think you may have stumbled upon a very important question, kid. And I have a bad feeling." He placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, a rare gesture. "I need to look into this more. You keep an eye on things here. I don't think what happened to Neji was natural, so you should keep a lookout for anything strange."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I need to talk to Dende about all this, if he doesn't already know." Gohan nodded. "Let me know if anything happens."

"Okay." Still, Gohan had to smile. It had been a while since he had seen his old mentor after all. "See you soon, Piccolo-san." The Namekian smirked.

"Later, kid." With that, he flew off to Dende's Lookout.

It only took Neji half an hour to come to. Opalescent eyes blinked open, first seeing two blurry figures leaning over him. Soon enough, the figures came into focus to reveal Goten and Trunks.

"Hey," Goten greeted softly, "welcome back." Neji groaned as he forced himself to sit up. The brunette cradled his aching head.

He did not look up as he asked, "Goten, what happened?" The aforementioned gently grasped Neji's shoulder.

"You passed out, or something. We're really not sure. Do you remember anything?" As the Goten and Neji spoke, Trunks could not help to notice the posture of the two in front of him. They were unbelievably close for two people who had seemingly just met. Still, the lavender-headed boy decided to say nothing.

"Not really," the brunette replied dazedly. "It's all sort of a blur." Goten simply nodded, unsure of what caused Neji's sudden fainting spell.

"Well, how're you feeling?" Neji shrugged.

"I'll be fine," he said simply. Neji refused to show weakness in front of others after all. Still, somehow, he knew that Goten would not judge him for such.

"Do you have any idea why you fainted?" The brunette held his head, sighing.

"I remember activating my Byakugan, but then I saw something strange…and nothing."

"Hey," cut in Trunks, "why don't we figure this out later? Chichi-baa-chan's probably almost done with dinner." Goten visibly drooled at the thought.

"Great! I'm starving!" He dashed out of the room, leaving the other two behind. Neji looked to the lavender-headed half-Saiyan.

"Trunks, right? The addressed responded with a curt nod. "No one here really seems to care much for honorifics," he murmured, more to himself than Trunks, "but should I call you Trunks-san?" Trunks smirked.

"Call me what you want," he said simply, almost amused by how much he sounded like his father. Neji had to smirk in turn.

"You seem oddly possessive of Goten."

"So what if I am?" This time, Neji chuckled.

"It's cute."

"…Your face."

"Your mom!"

"Your mom's face!"

"My mother's dead."

"…Damn." Somehow, the two ended up laughing.

"Did our conversation really just degrade to that?" he asked chuckling.

"Well, they say the more smart people in a room, the stupider the conversation," Trunks responded with a shrug.

"Who says that?"

"I do. Now, come on, I'm hungry." With that, Trunks led Neji out of the room and into the kitchen, where the rest of the Son family sat waiting for dinner. Goku was the first to notice them.

"Oh, hey guys! Trunks, you stayin' for dinner?" Trunks took a seat beside Goten, nodding.

"You bet, nothing like Chichi-baa-chan's home-cooking. You should open up a restaurant, Chichi-baa-chan." Chichi laughed from beside the stove.

"Oh, Trunks-chan, you charmer, you." It was then that she spotted her new houseguest. Her deep black eyes widened at the sight of the handsome brunette standing awkwardly beside the table.

"Goku-sa!" she cried. "This's him?!" Goku chuckled cheerily, nodding.

"Sure is! Chichi, this is our temporary houseguest, Neji, and Neji, this is my wife, Chichi." Neji nodded lightly. Unsure of what to do or say, Neji went for the polite route.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Chichi-san," he murmured. He bowed slightly, a symbol of great respect…well, at least in the five shinobi nations. Chichi smiled.

"Well, at least there's somebody in this house who knows how t' act grateful." She glared particularly hard at Goku, who merely chuckled nervously in response. "Well, Neji-sa, welcome to our house. C'mon, don't be shy; take a seat." The brunette was hesitant at first, but sat on Goten's other side after a moment.

Dinner came and went. Neji had never had a family dinner before. It was…nice. He felt comfortable, happy almost. Was this what it was like to have a _real_ family? To have a loving mother cook dinner. A cheerful father. Playful siblings. They spoke of their days, of training, of anything and everything. Was this how life was when his parents were still alive? Neji felt oddly close to tears throughout the meal. He did not like this universe at all. It made him so emotional. Between Goten and this strange family vibe, his mask of stoicism was shattering.

When dinner was finished, Neji helped Chichi with the dishes, to which she was extremely thankful. ("See, Goku-sa, he knows how t' treat a lady!"). There were a lot of dishes, since there were four Saiyans in the vicinity (Neji was appalled by his new companions' eating habits, but said nothing). Soon after, Trunks got ready to leave. Before he flew up into the air (Neji's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at this) he told Neji to come to his house sometime for his mother would "love" him. The brunette was a bit scared at the implications of this. Gohan left for his own family soon after.

"Why don't you boys go up t' Goten-chan's room?" Chichi suggested a few minutes later. "Neji-sa, you could prob'ly use some rest pretty soon." At her proposal, the two decided to go up to Goten's room. Once there, Goten jumped onto his bed with a sigh. Neji, adversely, simply took a seat on the edge.

"So," Goten began softly, "that's my family." Neji said nothing. He was not homesick; sure, he missed his friends, but he felt almost _freer_ here. So why did he feel so depressed? Goten moved beside him, resting on his elbows. "You okay, Nej?" Neji had to smile at that.

"Nej?" Goten shrugged. Neji would have killed anyone else for addressing him as such, but for some reason, he could not seem to get angry at Goten.

"Do you miss Konoha?" he asked softly. Again, Neji did not respond. Goten decided to try a different angle.

"Well, do you remember anything about how you got here?" At this, Neji turned to look Goten in the eyes.

"No," he murmured truthfully. He frowned at the thought. "If I try, I get a headache. It's strange." Goten smiled, lifting Neji's frown just a bit.

"We'll figure this out." Somehow, Neji believed him.

How did Goten have such a strong effect on Neji? What made him so…Neji was not even sure what. Goten knew so much about the brunette, but Neji knew nothing about the other. Maybe it was time to find out.

"Goten," he began. "Tell me about yourself." It was an odd way to put it, but Goten did not seem to mind.

"Well, I guess it all really started with my dad. You should have him tell the whole story sometime. He's done a lot in his life. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you. Anyway," he paused, looking at Neji. The Hyuuga was staring at him intently, with determined white eyes. "Dad's the strongest martial artist on Earth, if not the universe." This did much to remind Goten of his issues with his father, but he shrugged them off and continued. "But, he's not human." Neji was not shocked by this, as he had overheard something of the like in Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo's earlier conversations. "He's from an alien race called the Saiyans. They're born and raised to fight. That's why he's so strong. It's in his nature. My mom's human, so Gohan and I are both half-Saiyan. Gohan's real strong, _especially_ when he's angry. I'm stronger than most people, but in comparison to them, I'm no stronger than a five-year-old. Trunks-kun is half-Saiyan too. His dad's Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans, but we're really the only Saiyans left because the race was massacred by a tyrant named Freeza. Dad killed Freeza though." Goten noticed how much he was going off on tangents, but Neji did not seem to mind.

"All of us can change forms to something called Super Saiyan (that's how Dad beat Freeza). We turn into Super Saiyans because of a trigger that makes us unbelievably angry. We can all do this. There's also Super Saiyan Two and Three, which my dad and brother first figured out. Hey Nej, you gotta keep this next part secret, 'kay?" Neji simply nodded. "Well, Trunks-kun, Nii-chan, Dad, and Shishou (that's Vegeta) can all turn Super Saiyan Two. I told them that I could too, but the truth is…I can't. I think Shishou figured it out, but no one else seems to know."

"Why can't you?" asked the brunette genuinely.

"Well," began Goten, "Super Saiyan Two is also triggered by extreme rage. Truth be told, I could never get angry enough. I'm in shock that I was able to get angry enough even for the first Super Saiyan transformation. I'm just not an angry person. I guess it's just not in my nature, ne?" Neji sighed softly.

"I like you the way you are, so don't worry about stuff like that." Neji's own eyes widened. He could not believe that those words had just come out of his mouth. It seemed Goten could not either, as his deep onyx eyes were wide as well. However, that expression soon changed into a grin.

"Thanks, Nej," he said as he gently kissed Neji's cheek. The brunette blushed a fiery red, rivaling Hinata's after a long conversation with Naruto. Goten simply laughed at Neji's red face. In response, Neji punched the half-Saiyan so hard that he flew off of the bed. He crossed his arms, still blushing, but even he could not stop the small smile from crossing his face. Goten climbed back onto the bed.

There were a few moments of peaceful silence before Neji finally spoke. "Goten, do you think I could see another copy of the manga I'm in?" The brunette was not sure why he asked for such a thing, but before he could catch himself, it had just slipped out. Goten nodded, quickly looking through his books before he found the most recent copy of _Naruto_. He flipped through it with Neji, but before the brunette could get a word out, Goten gasped. "What's wrong?" he asked, noting his companion's sudden shock.

"It's-it's-it's _changed_!!!"

***Sorry, this chapter was mostly dialogue, but a lot of stuff had to be worked out. Also, CLIFF-HANGERZ!!! Sorry about that one. It also felt a little rushed towards the end. I was up late and just wanted to finish the chapter I suppose. Yeah, I swear that Piccolo seems to know WAY more than he should. Wow. He's like the elves in LOTR; he just randomly figures shit out. Or Sherlock Holmes. "Based on the length of your cuticles, I can tell that you're having an affair with your wife." Dude, weird shit. Also, anyone else been reading **_**Naruto **_**lately? God, it's getting so fucking weird and referencing the cycle of violence from Faulkner's **_**Light in August**_** like every other page. Also, everything I've been predicting is coming true! It's like reading the seventh **_**Harry Potter**_** again. I need to reread that sometime before the movie comes out. Anyway, sorry for any delay, and also, sorry for any grammar mistakes. Wasn't well proofread. I can tell you that much. Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. A Father

***You know, funny thing. I was watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, and got this idea for ANOTHER Naruto crossover. Shikamaru in the Yu-Gi-Oh!verse. Wouldn't that just be hilarious?! Shikamaru vs. Yami. That would be one for the record books. The longest game of shogi ever played. I'd bet it'd go on longer than some Quidditch matches. Lol. Anyway, I'd like to thank all my reviewers (Obelisk of Light, A is for Angst, UnknownFlux, ****xzavx****, and ****Sc0ti****). Will you marry me? At least a date! **

**P.S.**

**Why the hell does **_**West Side Story**_** work so well with this fic? WTF?! **_**Dragon Ball Z**__**Naruto**__**West**__**Side**__**Story**_**? Weird shit. Oh, and sorry for the obligatory **_**Alvin and the Chipmunks**_** reference…it happens.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** or **_**Naruto**_**. I especially don't own **_**Dragon**__**Ball**_** and **_**Naruto**_** at the same time, nor do I own any of the plentiful pop culture references that I may or may not mention in my story.**

**Chapter 4: A Father, That's Who I Mean**

Naruto flinched, ready for the first punch from the Kumo shinobi. He could only hope that if he played the martyr, the Kumo Nin could push all of her anger towards Sasuke on him instead, and maybe then, the two villages could work something out. There had to be a peaceful solution. Somehow, Naruto could find a way to solve this without violence, without vengeance.

The Kumo shinobi punched him with all of her strength as her teammate and Sai looked on warily. "I'm gonna keep doing this until you tell me everything you know about Sasuke!" she cried. "So you'd better spill!" Naruto said nothing, looking her straight in the eye. He did not cringe as she raised her fist, readying for another strike. It was all for the sake of peace. He could take a few punches, if it meant that someone else would not have to. She readied to put all of her strength into this next hit-

"Naruto! Naruto! Naruto!!" Everything seemed to pause as a frantic Rock Lee came barreling towards them. It even distracted the Kumo-nin enough to drop Naruto.

Lee stopped in front of Naruto, hunched over and panting. "Geji-mayu," began the blonde as he picked himself off of the ground. **(1)** "What's going on-ttebayo?" **(2)** Lee looked up, ignoring the other people around him (quite unlike himself). It was then that Naruto noticed Lee's condition. He was bruised and bloodied. His clothes were badly ripped and he looked exhausted. It would seem that the taijutsu-specialist had gotten himself into a fight. Could it be another Akatsuki attack?! Would Naruto have to help the village again? "What happened?" he asked breathlessly.

Lee swallowed before finally calming himself down enough to speak. "Naruto, I need your help!" Naruto was shocked at Lee's informal speech. Whatever happened shook him up enough to completely forgo his normal mannerisms. The taijutsu-specialist _never_ referred to Naruto without an honorific. "I-I didn't know who else to go to," he continued, seeming almost near tears, "Neji is…Neji's been kidnapped!!" Naruto gasped, even Sai and the Kumo shinobi looked surprised. However, the blonde recovered quickly, and he immediately lost all sense of his new nindo, blaming the first person he could think of.

"It was _you_!" he snarled, pointing at the Kumo shinobi. "Kumogakure's always wanted the Byakugan! You took Neji's dad, now you've taken him too!!" There was a shocked silence. The Kumo shinobi were about to respond to being accused of something so utterly ridiculous, but Lee spoke first.

"No, Naruto, that's just it. The…_thing_ that captured Neji wasn't any shinobi. I don't think it was even _human_. It attacked us while we were rebuilding the village, and beat my whole team without breaking a sweat!" Naruto stared at Lee, cobalt blue eyes wide.

"Geji-mayu," Naruto began sternly, "tell me everything."

***

That was where the manga ended, but Goten had stopped paying attention long before then; he had more important things to worry about, for the moment that Neji had read the word "kidnapped," he had collapsed in pain, eyes wide. The brunette clutched onto the closest object to him, which just so happened to be Goten. The pain was so severe; it was incredible that he could manage to stay conscious. He took deep breaths, hoping to suppress the pain. Surprisingly, it worked. By shear force of will, he managed to transform the sharp agony to a dull ache, almost residual.

As Neji's senses began to reawaken, he noticed that a certain half-Saiyan was still holding him. "Goten," he murmured softly, "you can let go of me now." The addressed did not respond immediately.

"Well, what if I don't want to?" Neji managed a weak chuckle.

"Fine," he gave in, shifting to make himself more comfortable, "have it your way." They remained silent for a while. Goten reveling in the moment, while Neji waited impatiently for the last dying embers of the once-fiery pain to ebb and fade away.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" he asked no one in particular. "It all has something to do with my coming here, but what does it mean?" Again, the black-haired boy did not respond to his musings at first.

"I've never been the smartest person," Goten replied softly. "If _you_ can't figure it out there's no way I can, but you've had a long day. You can worry about this stuff tomorrow. Come on, let's sleep. That fight with Shishou really wore me out. Here, you can sleep in my room tonight; it'll be like a sleepover!" Neji sighed shaking his head as Goten stood, grabbing a pair of pajamas for both of them. When Goten first began to change, right in the open, Neji nearly had a heart attack (much to the amusement of the half-Saiyan).

"Come on, Nej!" cried Goten. "You're in the middle of the woods; there's no need to be modest!" Still, Neji could not warm up to the idea of public nudity, opting instead to change in the bathroom. On the way back to Goten's room, he bumped into Goku.

"How're you holding up, Neji?" The brunette smiled, unsure of why Goku made him feel so content and safe (he wondered if he was the only one who felt this way when the man was around).

"I'm all right, Goku-san," he sighed out. Goku chuckled.

"Been a rough day, I'm sure. Here, let's go sit down. Chichi and Goten can wait a little longer." Neji did not object as Goku led him down into the living room. They sat down on the three-person couch. However, Neji had to double-take when he glanced at the expression on the man's face. The man seemed so downtrodden, serious. He seemed so different than the man who had asked what amicable meant earlier. "Neji," he called finally. The brunette was too dumbstruck to speak; instead he nodded. "I couldn't help but remembering what Goten said earlier."

"Goku-san?" Neji was becoming nervous. He had not known Goku for long, but the Hyuuga had a feeling that it was rare to see the man quite this unnerved. Goku sighed.

"Neji, can I take a look at your 'juin seal'?" Whatever Neji was expecting, it was not that.

"Y-you remember Goten saying that," he stuttered, a rare event. Goku smiled.

"I may not be smart, Neji, but I wouldn't be able to get by in a fight without a good memory." Neji smiled.

"Is it just me, or do you just act stupider to get on Piccolo's nerves?"

"And Vegeta's!" They shared a laugh before Goku again grew serious.

"I understand if you don't wanna show me-"

"No," Neji interrupted. "It's okay." The brunette did not enjoy showing people his curse seal, but Goku knew little to nothing about Hyuuga Clan politics, so he was positive that the man would not judge him for his lower class status. He untied his hitai-ate, placing the discarded headband on the table. With a sigh, he meticulously removed the many bandages adorning his forehead. Neji felt so very naked without these two barriers. Now, any person in the Five Hidden Villages could look at him and know that he was nothing more than a meat-shield for the Main Branch. He took another deep breath before swallowing his pride and staring up at Goku, his juin seal revealed in all of its "glory".

Goku's brow furrowed. "Oh, Neji," he gasped. Still, he gave Neji a compassionate smile. "I don't know much about seals, but when I was traveling as a kid, I saw a couple, but nothing like this." Neji could not find words; he simply nodded. For reasons he did not yet understand, he thought of the disgusted look his father had worn on Hinata's third birthday when his uncle had said, "It's time." He remembered the unadulterated agony that he had endured when that unsympathetic Hyuuga elder had branded him. They had been in a separate room, but he was sure that his father had heard his terrible screams. The four-year-old Neji had awoken in his bed over three days later; his father had never left his side. Never, in the history of the Hyuuga Clan, had a Hyuuga been branded with a juin seal so young, but then again, never had the Hyuuga Clan a prodigy such as Neji. They had done it to mark ownership, not to symbolize his duty to protect Hinata. They had done it to make sure that all of the other Konoha clans knew that the greatest prodigy to grace Konohagakure since Uchiha Itachi belonged to the Hyuuga and was at their mercy.

Somehow, as he gazed at the older man, Neji felt as though Goku was the one with the "All-Seeing Eyes" and could see all of this from staring so intently at Neji. But such was not the truth. "Will you tell me about how you got it? What it means?" asked the Saiyan. Neji did not notice how hard he was gripping his lap until his hands had gone numb. He was almost positive that he was visibly shaking, but the older man said nothing, if he noticed at all that is. He was not sure why the premise of telling Goku about his curse scared him so, but that it did.

"It's…I'm from the Hyuuga clan." He decided to start from the beginning, knowing that Goku knew little to nothing about Konoha in general, let alone its infamous clans. The man nodded encouragingly. "Everyone in my clan has the Byakugan, but a lot of other clans want it too."

"Why?" asked the black-haired man, genuinely confused.

"Because it's so powerful." Goku nodded in understanding. "Other clans had started to hunt and kill Hyuugas in order to bring the dead bodies back to their villages and have their medics dissect their eyes to see how they worked." Goku's eyes widened at this.

"That's awful!" he cried, truly appalled by the sorts of depths that people of Neji's world would sink to. The brunette gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, my ancestors decided to create a system to protect the secrets of the Byakugan, so that it would be unique only to the Hyuuga clan **(3)**. They got together a few volunteers who would be branded with a seal. This seal would shut down the Byakugan, so to speak, upon that person's death. The people branded with this were called the Branch House of the Hyuuga Clan. They're jobs were to be on the front lines during a war. They were powerful enough to really turn the tides in battle, and no one had to worry about the secrets of the Byakugan being revealed. However, as the volunteers began to die out, the Hyuuga Clan was faced with a problem: how to decide whom from the next generation should be branded. No one wanted to volunteer since the death toll was enormous (as the Branch House was on the frontlines all the time). They decided that the children of the original volunteers should be branded. And their children's children, and so on and so forth. Eventually, the Branch House grew in size, and the non-branded Hyuugas began to call themselves the Main House."

"But, what if the children didn't want to be branded? That's not fair!" Neji nodded solemnly. "So, the reason you're branded is because you're descended from those original volunteers?" At this, Neji shook his head.

"That's just it, Goku-san. I'm not." Before Goku could get another word in, Neji continued, "My father was called Hyuuga Hizashi, and he was born to the Main House. He was the son of the head of the Hyuuga Main House. But, there was a problem. Chichiue was a twin **(4)**. He had a brother, Hyuuga Hiashi. They were the first twins borne to the head of the Main House in the clan's history. Hiashi was born first, so the elders decided to name him the heir to the head of the Main House. Chichiue was born second, so he was named heir to the head of Branch House. Because of this, they branded him, and as his son, they branded me too."

From the way Neji had said those last words, Goku got a very bad vibe. Still, he asked. "Neji, when did they brand you?" Neji's eyes widened at the question. Goku was a lot sharper than people made him out to be.

He swallowed, refusing to meet Goku's ever-concerned obsidian eyes. "I was four," he murmured simply. "The youngest Hyuuga to ever be branded." Neji wanted nothing more than to change the subject, but Goku had a right to know, especially considering that he had taken Neji in without a second thought.

"You're not telling me something, are you, Neji? This seal does something else, doesn't it?" Neji could not help but to nod; after all, it was the truth. Still, he had not wanted to tell Goku, picturing the anxiety on the normally cheerful man's face at the truth. He did not want Goku to look at him with that face full of heart-warming sympathy. Somehow, Neji knew that, once Goku looked at him with that expression, the dam would break, and Neji would cry, probably unable to stop himself.

"This seal," he began, monotonously, detached, "it means I'm their slave. Any of the Main House can activate it, causing me unbearable pain. They can put me in my place, torture me, even kill me if they want. It's means I have to obey them, for fear of pain and death." Before Goku could even ask, Neji continued. "Yes, Goku-san, I've had it activated. Many times. The pain only seems to get worse with every activation. It's like having a person torture you, with every device in existence, but do it all at once. I don't remember much about it; I'm lost in a sea of agony. But I'm told that I never scream; I just lie on the ground with a blank look on my face. I don't show it, but God knows, I feel it **(5)**. I-" Goku did not let Neji speak another word, as he had wrapped his arms tightly around Neji in an embrace.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered sadly. Neji bit his lip. Goku was so warm, so kind. Neji wanted to sob on the other's shoulder and tell him everything from his father's most cruel death to his frustration at becoming so weak in comparison to Naruto. And he knew that the man would just listen, nodding encouragingly, gasping at the right parts, and pat Neji's back if he started to cry. He wanted to cry out "Chichiue" and find the father that he never got the chance to know in Goku. Again, he was positive that the other would not mind. Still, Neji could not let himself. It was not the fact that he barely knew Goku or that Goten and Chichi were waiting that Neji held himself back. No, it was the fact that there was a little condescending voice in the back of his head, calling him a weakling, telling him that he would be betraying his team, his father. This strange guilt stopped him, overriding all of his desires.

It was this little voice that caused Neji to pull away from Goku, murmuring, "I should go back to Goten now, and you to Chichi-san." He stood, turning away from the man. The Saiyan's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you don't wanna keep talking? It seems like you've been through a lot, and well, I really don't mind Neji." Neji smiled sadly, though he knew that Goku could not see.

"I know, Goku-san, but…" The truth never hurt. "I need some time."

"Okay," said Goku, understanding well. "We'll finish this another time, but I'm gonna walk you over Goten's room whether you like it or not." Neji could not help the chuckle that escaped him.

"All right." And so, Goku did. He gave Neji one last warm smile before returning to his own room with Chichi. Neji did not enter Goten's room at first. This entire family's effect on him. He had barely known the Sons for a _day_, and yet, he felt much closer to them than his actual family. Goku thought his juin seal repulsive, but to the Hyuuga family, such was commonplace and tradition. Still, he had to wonder if…would Neji have been more familiar with this warm family environment if his parents had lived to watch their son grow up? Would he have had siblings like Gohan and Goten? Would he have been able to have a warm family dinner like the one he had had tonight? And still, through all of this craziness, he still felt that unbearable _guilt_. His team was probably worried about him, and here he was getting strangely accustomed to a true family. Was he stabbing his own father in the back by enjoying Goku's company? It was all just too confusing.

Neji had not realized that Goten had grabbed his arm and practically dragged him into his room until he was already lying on the bed.

"You okay?" the half-Saiyan asked, staring at him with warm yet worried eyes.

"You…have a nice family," Neji managed softly. Goten took a seat next to him.

"Yeah," was all that he cared to say. Neji pulled his knees to his chest. He just could not deal with this right now. He was _scared_. He had never felt anything like this before. He did not want to think about the implications of all of this. Was he happier here than in Konoha? What about his team? What about his uncle, Hinata, and Hanabi? What about Naruto? No, it was just too much. He needed a distraction.

"Goten?" he called, barely above a whisper. The other nodded, smiling gently. "You kept talking about your Shishou earlier…" Goten's whole face brightened as he nodded eagerly.

"Yup!" Somehow, Goten's sudden change in mood made Neji just a bit happier as well.

"What's he like?"

"Well," he began, "his name's Vegeta and he's Trunks's dad." He paused before grinning at Neji. "I'd tell you he's crazy, but I don't think anyone can top you when it comes to crazy teachers." Neji let a small smile cross his face at the thought of Gai-sensei. He nodded. "Anyway, Shishou's like dad. He's a full-blooded Saiyan. Actually, he's more than just a Saiyan; he's the Saiyan prince! ...Except, that doesn't mean much nowadays since there're about…seven of us and that's including Pan-chan (Nii-chan's daughter) who's a quarter-Saiyan." Neji smiled kindly, genuinely. Goten had never seen the other smile with such warm eyes before. He had to admit that he liked it.

"Gohan has a daughter?" Goten nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup! She's turning four in a couple weeks. Gohan married his first love, Videl-nee-chan. I'll hafta introduce you guys sometime. You'll get along. Same with Bulma-baa-chan (Trunks's mom) and Shishou. Though…Shishou's not very sociable…even with his own family. He's very…proud. He hates to lose, and he's one of the most cunning fighters I've ever met, second only to Piccolo-san." Neji nodded, starting to get the hang of things. Goten was a half-Saiyan, the son of Chichi, a human, and Goku, a Saiyan. Gohan was Goten's older brother, who was married to Videl, a human, and they had a daughter named Pan. Goten was trained by Vegeta, who was another Saiyan and married Bulma, a human. They had a son named Trunks, another half-Saiyan. It was starting to make sense.

"So, how did you all meet? How did you become good friends with so many different people?" Goten chuckled.

"Oh, it's a _long_ story; again, you should definitely have dad tell you the long version, but now's not really the time. Is there anyone in particular you wanna know about?" Neji nodded.

"Tell me about how you met Shishou. I mean, how did you end up being trained by the Saiyan prince of all people?" Goten grinned.

"Well, Shishou came to Earth with one of his attendants. To make a long story short, he and Dad basically had the fight of the century because Shishou wanted to destroy the Earth, and Dad wanted to protect it. This was _way_ before I was born, but Gohan (who was about five at the time), Piccolo and a lot of others helped to fight. Dad only won because he had some help; without it, Dad says Shishou would've won hands down…but knowing Dad, he would've come up with something. Anyway, after that, Shishou and Dad became mortal enemies. But overtime, Shishou grew to think of Earth as his home. He still thought of Dad as his rival, but he also got used to him and had a family of his own. Then, Dad died, for seven years." Goten paused as he saw the complete and utter shock on Neji's face. "What's wrong, Nej? You sick?" The brunette glared at the other, looking at Goten like he had grown a second head.

"_What do you mean, 'What's wrong'_? How could your dad have died? When I saw him five minutes ago, he seemed perfectly alive!" Goten gasped, slapping his forehead with his palm. He chuckled.

"Right, I forgot, in your world when people die, they tend to stay dead. Haha! Gotta say, that must be weird!" Neji blinked, staring at Goten indignantly, as what he thought of as the primary law of nature was now brought into question. "Yeah, so, Dad was dead for a while, but then Old Kaio-shin transferred his life into Dad, so he came back to life." At this point, Neji realized that the only way to keep himself from fainting, as Goten did earlier, was to take very deep breaths. He did so. "Neji?"

The brunette swallowed, eyes wide. "Lord of Lords…who exactly is the 'Lord of Lords'?" Goten gently pat Neji's back, trying to offer some comfort to his poor stunned friend.

"Well, first you got Dende, who's also known as Kami-sama. He's the God of Earth. Then, above him, is Enma-sama, who directs souls to either Heaven or Hell. Above him are the four Kaio-samas, one for each quadrant of the universe. Above them is Grand Kaio-sama. Above him, is Kaio-shin. There used to be four of them, but they all died, except for one. Actually, there was also Grand Kaio-shin, but he also died. The guy who gave Dad his life back was Old Kaio-shin, the Kaio-shin from fifteen generations ago. So, basically, Dad got his life back from God's God's God's God's God's God, get it?" Neji blinked, before slipping off of the bed and into the fetal position on the ground. No amount of deep breathing could keep him from fainting at this point. "Neji…are you okay?" Neji did not respond. "Is it really that hard to take?"

Neji swallowed again before looking over his shoulder. "Yes, Goten, yes it is. And the fact that you would even ask that scares me." Goten laughed cheerily.

"Oh well, I've been dealing with this stuff since I was in diapers, so I'm used to it!" Still, he wondered how badly Neji would take the premise of the dragon balls. He decided to put that bit of information on hold, at least until Neji got used to the concept of there being a nearly endless chain of Gods. "You know, Nej, do you know what the funniest part of all this is?" Neji could not help but to smile at the other's enthusiasm.

"What?" he asked, relaxing a bit.

"Even with all that stuff…you're still the weirdest thing in our universe right now." They both shared a laugh at that thought. This universe held green men, planet-purging alien races, very loose laws of life and death, and more Gods than you could shake a stick at, and yet, still, Neji was the strangest thing in it. It was a funny thought, if not a bit mystifying. "It's been a long day, Nej; let's call it a night." Neji sighed.

"I guess you're right." Goten laid down on the bed, but on the far side, leaving a lot of space. "Goten?"

"Come on, Neji; there's plenty of room!" Neji did not sputter often, but this was one of the few exceptions. "Neji," Goten whined, "it's a sleepover! Come on, Trunks-kun and I share a bed all the time!" The brunette recovered enough to glare at the other.

"Goten, we're not five!" Goten merely pouted childishly in response. Well, at least _one_ of them was not five. "I'll take the floor."

"You'll catch a cold!"

"I'm a shinobi; I sleep on the ground all the time!"

"Hyuuga Neji, you get into this bed right now, or I'll go Super Saiyan on you, and make you do it!" Neji did not feel threatened. He may not have been as strong as Naruto, but he was not weak either. He could take Goten.

"I'd like to see you try," he baited. Neji had barely gotten the words out before Goten had playfully (if not a bit roughly) tackled him to the ground. He pinned Neji easily, but when the brunette attempted to struggle against the other, he found himself unbelievably overpowered. Was Goten's grip always this strong? Neji finally gave up, opening the eyes that he did not realize that he had clenched shut. His eyes were met with an astonishing sight.

Goten had transformed. His hair had changed. It was now even more gravity-defying than before, but instead of the ebony that it was before, it was now a brilliant golden-blond. His black eyes were now a bright, sky blue. He was glowing. When Neji looked at Goten now, it was like looking into the sun. It was stunning, dazzling, "Beautiful." Neji had not realized that he had said the last part aloud until Goten looked back at him with a curious surprised expression. His eyes had not just changed in colour. They were now more serious, smaller. In a way, those eyes made Goten look as though he would never be the same cheerful boy again. As physically bright and incandescent as Goten was now, there was also an incredible sadness to it. Goten had said that only extreme rage could trigger the Super Saiyan state (Neji assumed that this was it), but Neji did not see anger in those eyes. All that he saw was an incredible melancholy. Goten was the embodiment of misery, solemnity, and regret.

Neji did not notice that Goten had returned to normal until he was once again looking into big, warm, and expressive obsidian eyes. Even when Goten got off of Neji, the latter did not sit up. He could not remove his gaze from those eyes. Though they were now showing concern, Neji could still once again see the kindness and overall happiness in them. Goten was back.

The half-Saiyan, worried for his companion, opened his mouth to call the other's name, but before he could get a single syllable out, Neji threw himself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Goten blinked, shocked. Neji was _crying_. The so-called stoic Hyuuga prodigy was crying his eyes out in his arms. "Neji," Goten called in disbelief. He wanted to ask the brunette what was wrong, if he had hurt him in any way, but the words would not come.

"I-I th-thought you…you w-weren't c-c-coming back!" he managed to sob out, before regressing back into bawling. Goten's eyes softened. He gently rubbed Neji's back.

"Hey, come on, I'm still here. Don't cry. I don't know what to do when a cute boy like you cries over me." Neji nodded weakly, trying to calm himself down. He managed to do so enough to get out a few sentences.

"Y-you looked s-so sad. I-I did-didn't think you w-were ever going t-t-to be h-happy again. You were j-just…y-your e-eyes were…I-I…p-please n-never do that again!" Goten just laughed.

"I'm sorry, Nej. If I knew it would make you cry like that, I never would've transformed." He gently wiped the remaining tears from Neji's cheeks with the back of his hand. "You know, no one's ever cried for me before. If I had the choice, I wouldn't've wanted to make you cry, but it's nice to know that someone cares enough to. So, thanks for wasting your tears on me." Neji nodded.

"You're welcome," he murmured. After a few moments, Goten stood, bringing Neji up with him. The brunette did not argue when Goten turned off the lights and pulled Neji into the bed beside him, nor did he argue when Goten pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. He just let it all happen, and fell asleep within moments. Somehow, he was not surprised.

Goten awoke sometime in the middle of the night. Neji was tucked comfortably under his chin, fast asleep, but that was not what bothered him. No, what did was that the half-Saiyan felt completely rejuvenated. He felt _unbelievably _powerful. His ki had skyrocketed. He was about as strong as Cell on a good day, and he was not even Super Saiyan. With this power, he could have taken his Shishou by himself, or at least, given him quite a challenge. This power was incredible, but it did not feel as though it was generated from Goten himself. But if not from Goten, then where? The half-Saiyan unconsciously pulled the body adjacent to him even closer. Neji mumbled incomprehensibly, gently nuzzling the other in his sleep. "Go…ten…" he sighed out softly. Then, Goten felt another surge of power. It flowed through him, completely overwhelming him. It was fantastic, mind-blowing. It was so pure, almost omnipotent. When even more power rushed into him, Goten gasped sharply. His mouth and eyes flew open in a silent scream. It was unbelievable, ecstasy, pure euphoria. His head swam. He was so dizzy with strength, so completely inundated by it that his body simply gave out on him, and he fainted.

***This chapter was supposed to go on for like, another 10 pages, but I decided that it won't kill me to cut it in two. And this way, you guys get a chapter about 4 months earier (jk, it wouldn't've taken me that long…probably). Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry for the late/short-ness. Seriously though, that last paragraph…I'm kinda curious to see what people think of the plot-development. Please let me know if you feel like it! Well, Happy Birthday, George (I couldn't think of a better way to wrap this up…I don't even know a George!)**


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